Taiwanese Star Aaron Yan Accused of Raping His 16-Year-Old Ex-Boyfriend in #MeToo Revelation

Taiwanese singer and actor Aaron Yan is facing a #MeToo revelation of rape and other inappropriate behavior by his ex-boyfriend, a 16-year-old minor at the time.

On June 20, a content creator named Yao Le shared a post on Instagram detailing an alleged relationship between him and Yan beginning after the idol accepted his friend request.

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All the pain from the past few years… I’m planning on letting it all out today. I still remember, back then, you used your private account to argue with [singer] Nick Chou in the comment section of a news article, but accidentally exposed your real identity.

My curiosity for you, and for celebrities in general, got me sending you a friend request. Unexpectedly, you accepted.
From then on, we chatted and you invited me to come over to your place to watch Netflix.

I was wondering if I was dreaming… To be talking to a famous idol, a celebrity I liked since I was young, and to be taking it a step further…

— Yao Le

At the time, I had just turned 16 and was living in Taipei by myself to study. You were my Prince Charming. I did whatever you said, because you were a celebrity, an idol, and my partner.
You would never hurt me…

But I was proven wrong. I gave you my virginity, when I was 16.
You tried to film while we were having sex, but that was where I drew the line. I seriously refused, and you pinky swore on it.

You often woke up before me, saw that I was still sleeping, and forced yourself in me without considering how I felt.

— Yao Le

Yao Le in 2023. | @tnps96073/Instagram

Yao Le then says Yan allegedly recorded them having sex without his permission. He also claims he received calls from Yan’s other partners and says the star denied cheating until they broke up the next year.

At that time, I thought this was something every couple goes through, and you were only teaching me… The scariest thing is that you secretly filmed with your phone when I wasn’t paying attention, leading to a leak of the video which ruined my entire life.

While we were dating, I got calls late at night from your other partners, questioning the relationship between us and saying they were your real boyfriends. I had no idea how they got my phone number, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I loved you too much. I loved someone who appeared to be perfect.

You said the guys were being crazy and told me not to pay attention to them, and I foolishly believed you… But then, similar things continued to happen in the next half a year, and then we broke up.

— Yao Le

In 2018, Yao Le claims a sex tape of the two was leaked, resulting in his expulsion from school, while Yan did very little to help the situation.

After a long while, right before Mid-Autumn festival in 2018, I’ll always remember getting tons of private messages while I was working in Beijing. Our sex video was circulating. I was so angry, so mad, so helpless… But you just downplayed it and said you didn’t know how it got leaked.

You even said the press won’t be working during mid-autumn festival, so I shouldn’t worry because you’ll take care of it. The next day, the press went wild with their coverage. I faced all the high school gossiping alone. I faced all the netizen hate alone. And even the messages on discussion boards asking for the video.

For a long time, I was too afraid to leave home, and was forced to withdraw from school. Not only did my work all seemed to have stopped suddenly… but my life was ruined entirely. But you told me you did your best to handle it. You gave me a few thousand dollars for lawyer fees, and a few thousand dollars for myself, and that was it.

— Yao Le

Yan was previously accused of cheating on multiple partners, and Yao Le claims he came to his defense even though the information was allegedly true.

I even chose to protect you when Person A, B, and C accused you of cheating. Before this happened, they approached me and hoped that I would stand up and reveal all of this, but I really, really loved you. Although you hurt me a lot, I refused.

I even met up with your manager at a cafe in Ximending to tell her about this, so that you guys could be prepared. I didn’t want you to get hurt. But my love was met with abandonment. I was well-behaved, yet I was tossed to the side like trash.

— Yao Le

He finishes the statement by reflecting on why he decided to reveal this at this time and his hopes that Yan would have to “face the public” over his actions.

Even when the video got leaked, you told other people that if I revealed everything, you would get the gang to take care of me. I really didn’t know how to handle it. Everything above is supported by chat logs and evidence… sigh.

I looked up to you all this time, even now. But I can’t be understanding when I look back at the pain I suffered in the past. My feelings were contradictory, and I didn’t know how to face you, someone who’s so glamorous. I still get in touch with you once in a while, have a little chit-chat, ask you for your opinion on certain things, or see if you could help me out.
I don’t know if my love has become twisted. If I had chosen to stand up for myself when the first opportunity came along, perhaps things that followed wouldn’t have happened…

I swear I’m not doing this now in order to get views. If I was looking for attention, I would’ve revealed this when I had the two previous opportunities to do so. I’ve been feeling so sad watching the news for the past few days. I was sexually harassed on the subway recently, and I kept thinking about all of this.

I’m afraid you’re like this to a lot of people, taking advantage of their love and your status as a celebrity. So I really, really can’t take this anymore. It’s been five years. This time, you should be the one to face the public…

I’m not well enough to have interviews. I give permission to the press to share this. Thank you for your concern, everyone.

— Yao Le

Aaron Yan responded to the post with a letter, seemingly admitting to things Yao Le said, including that they dated while he was a minor. Yan offered to apologize to the content creator again and make amends for everything that happened.

Thank you, Yao Le, for speaking out willingly and giving me an opportunity to face the ticking time bomb that I’ve been scared of. I’m not proud of who I was. When it comes to relationships, I did a lot of things that were abnormal and twisted. I get love-struck and lose myself when I start a relationship.

I cherish the relationship I had with Yao Le. It’s not easy to study in Taipei, so I helped him found a place to live and paid for the rent. This is something I would do. Since I had to travel for work, we couldn’t see each other often, so I paid for his plane tickets to visit me. Everything is like what a couple would do.

Of course, we argued while we dated. There were times when things that shouldn’t have been said were said. Humans aren’t perfect when it comes to relationships, especially since I was used to twisted love. At that time, I didn’t communicate often, and neglected a lot of things. I didn’t have the ability nor the intelligence to handle a breakup appropriately.

As an immature person, I’m thankful to Yao Le for not breaking off contact with me. We’ve contacted each other on and off, and gave each other support. The last time we got in touch was September 2022. You asked me to help you promote a voting event. As a friend, I naturally agreed.

In 2018, the magazine incident happened. At the same time, a lot of my private videos circulated on the internet. But I didn’t leak them — after my investigation, the biggest possibility is that the photos and videos were leaked when I took my phone for repairing. For this, I did the best that I could at the time and asked a lawyer to help with erasing the videos.

The private videos that circulated on the internet were like a ticking time bomb that kept tormenting me. During that time, I reflected on my problems and shortcomings, and I was determined to become a better person. The scars and ugliness will follow me for the rest of my life. I know this very well and have never glorified or tried to escape from them.

I’m willing to face the mistakes I’ve made once again, because this is all me. If none of this happened, perhaps I wouldn’t have come to a realization. This is the result of me not being able to handle relationships well. Once again, I would like to apologize to everyone for setting the worst example. I used to be a really bad person, so I spent a lot of time seeking help and participating in consultations and classes.

I know I have to face this and not run away from it. I need to look at my rotten insides in order to get rid of my rotten flesh. I have to face my twisted ways in order to untwist them. Now, even as I conduct different types of interviews, I always carry a sense of appreciation and work hard to accomplish what I can accomplish. I’ve truly repented. I don’t want to let myself down, or let everyone who’s given me warmth and care down. This is the current me.

If you’re willing, I’m willing to apologize to you in person again. I’m also willing to stand by you to get through all the pain and do everything to make up for what happened.

— Aaron Yan

Yao Le has not responded to Aaron’s apology post at this time.