Jackie Chan is one of the most well-known Asian film stars, yet despite his popularity and fortune, he has a strained relationship with his children.
As one of the best actors of his generation, Jackie Chan has gone a long way. After conquering the Asian film industry, Chan came to Hollywood and scored a string of hit films that helped him reach a new audience.
Chan joins Jet Li and Bruce Lee in popularizing Asian films. With his outstanding blend of martial arts and physical humor, the 69-year-old entertains his followers.
Chan was widely regarded as Lee’s heir after he died in 1973. He rose to the occasion with successful films that captivated audiences. His first big film, “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow,” took the Hong Kong film industry by storm in 1978.
Other hits by Chan include “Drunken Master,” “The Fearless Hyena,” and “Half a Loaf of Kung Fu.” As a result, he became Hong Kong’s highest-paid actor and the leading Asian actor at the time.
Aside from his acting abilities, Chan was a competent stuntman. He allegedly does his stunts, which sometimes result in serious injuries. Everything, however, worked out in his favor.
Aside from his professional life, Chan is a well-known humanitarian. After he dies, the “Rush Hour” star intends to donate half his fortune to charity. Many people believe Chan’s decision is motivated by his terrible relationship with his children.
With his celebrity and fortune came a strong desire for women. Chan was well-liked by the ladies. Unfortunately, these affairs occasionally lasted longer than a one-night stand, leaving him with children he never intended to have.
Chan’s success had spread into the American market by the late 1990s, and he was now a well-known global figure. However, the “Drunken Master” actor claims that it was around this time that he made a “big mistake.”
In his book “Never Grow Up,” Chan discusses a secret affair he had in 1999, which he now regrets. The Hong Kong celebrity had an affair with Elaine Ng, with whom she had a daughter.
At the time of the affair, Chan married Taiwanese actress Joan Lin. When the news of his romance broke, Chan admitted to feeling unable to save his marriage.
Lin, surprisingly, supported him. After an open chat with her, the actor looked in the mirror and said to himself, “All these years, you were so careful to close yourself off from her, and she’s completely open with you.” Etta was born in the year 1999.
Etta, 23, grew up with minimal exposure to her father, a prominent martial artist and actor. So, according to the celebrity child, she grew up without Chan in her life.
Etta regards her father as a stranger and has no firm contact with him. Elaine, her mother, was a Hong Kong beauty queen before she met Chan in 1998. By the time Etta was born, they had gone their separate ways.
Etta was bullied at school and could not rely on her father for assistance or safety throughout her difficult times. She has no plans to heal relations with him now that she is an adult, stating, “I would not say that he is my father. I’d think, ‘Oh, Jackie Chan, the actor.’”
Despite his frigid treatment, Elaine claims she had no regrets about sharing Etta with Chan. However, she conceded that being a single mother was a demanding situation that occasionally got the best of her.
The former model also denied claims that she took a large stipend from Chan and chose to stay in Shanghai after Etta’s birth. On the other hand, the single mother argued her decision was in her daughter’s best interests.
This affair is still one of Chan’s biggest regrets. His empathy, however, was focused on his wife, Lin, whom he thought he had mistreated and did not deserve her forgiveness.
Etta is not Chan’s only child from an affair. His first child, though, compelled him to walk down the aisle with Lin. The actor admitted that the birth of his eldest son, Jaycee, was a “mistake.”
After learning of her pregnancy, Chan claimed he felt compelled to marry Lin. The Hong Kong star had no intention of marrying but had to act quickly. Chan said in his book that he dispatched Lin to the United States to dodge the prying eyes of the media—instead, the pair married in a Los Angeles coffee shop.
The media has regularly questioned Chan’s parenting abilities. The actor not only ignores them, but he also gets aggressive with his son at times.
In his frank memoir, “Never Grow Up,” Chan revealed how he once assaulted his small son, lifting and slamming him on the sofa. Jaycee and his mother were both terrified by the incident.
Chan recalled afterward, “That time, I scared him and his mother to death, and I was very regretful.” Despite his regret, Chan was likewise unable to assist Jaycee.
The actor’s hectic schedule made it impossible for his son to visit and bond with him. Chan was extremely busy shooting movies worldwide, leaving little time for his family.
Despite having one of Hollywood’s wealthiest fathers, Etta was said to be living on the streets with her wife. The 23-year-old stated that she and her boyfriend, Andi Autumn, lived on the streets and did not receive assistance from friends or relatives because of their sexual orientation.
Etta expressed confusion over the lack of assistance she received from the police and other gay communities. She also referred to her father as “homophobic.” Elaine, her mother, was quick to reject such assertions. She advised the two lovers to look for work instead of waiting for approval.
Elaine later implied that Autumn was a bad influence on Etta, 12 years her junior. Chan’s ex-girlfriend indicated that Etta’s wife was lazy and unwilling to work.
Chan hardly ever mentions or acknowledges Etta in public. When asked about her coming out as gay, the actor stated he was okay with it if that’s what she wanted.
Chan broke the devastating news to his family when he stated that all of his riches would be donated to charity when he died. The actor had planned to give half of it to his son, Jaycee, but changed his mind.
Rather than passing on his fortune to his children, Chan wants them to earn it. The actor feels that if they cannot create riches for themselves, they cannot handle his lifetime earnings of almost $400 million.
Chan remains one of the highest-paid performers in the world, earning $40 million in 2020. His fortune stems from sponsorship deals, films, and other economic enterprises.
