Tragic Details Of Jackie Chan's Son Jaycee

This article mentions child abuse.

One might think that the son of movie star Jackie Chan would be inundated with opportunities and work in the entertainment industry. Jaycee Chan, however, has proven that you need more than connections to make it in show business. Though he was able to get a foot in the door, his acting career hit some significant snags.

In a 2015 interview with the Associated Press, Jackie hinted that he hasn't always been thrilled with Jaycee's work ethic. As he told the outlet, once upon a time, his son tended to spend more time jetting around the world visiting friends than working on his creative endeavors. However, that all changed after Jaycee spent some time behind bars. "Now he writes so many songs," he said. "I thought, 'wow, being inside is good for him.' Every year he should go back inside for six months. Just kidding." He also noted that while he used to resist helping Jaycee out with his career, his perspective shifted following the arrest. "After this lesson, I changed. Whatever he asks me, I will do it," he said. 

It hasn't been an easy road for Jackie Chan's son, but he has not given up on his creative dreams. From his complicated family history to the aftermath of his arrest, Jaycee Chan has had some rough years. His heart-rending story shaped who he is today.

Born in 1982, Jaycee Chan has never known a life away from the public eye. After all, his parents, actors Jackie Chan and Joan Lin Feng-jiao, are showbiz veterans. As glamorous as that might sound, being a kid of a very famous parent can have some drawbacks. For starters, Jackie was still very busy with his acting career when Jaycee was a little kid and spent a lot of time away from home. As the martial arts legend recounted in his memoir "Never Grow Up," "For much of his life, we weren't together. As a child, he got to see me only in the small hours of the morning." And when they were together, they apparently didn't totally click. "I was always happy to spend time with him, but he seemed so unenthusiastic around me," he wrote.

Jackie also admitted to physically disciplining Jaycee when he was a young child. In his memoir, the film star recalled one particularly damning incident. "When [my son] was very young, I beat him hard once; I picked him up and threw him on the couch," he wrote (via the Los Angeles Times). "His mother and he were really scared. I also regretted it, and so I made a promise not to beat him anymore." Though it sounds like Jackie immediately recognized the error of his ways, one can only imagine the lasting emotional impact of having your world-renowned martial artist father put hands on you.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Jackie Chan might be a celebrity who has more kids than you realized. He became a dad for the second time after he had an affair with Hong Kong actor and beauty queen Elaine Ng Yi-lei. Their daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, was born in 1999. After the news of his infidelity broke, Jackie had a difficult conversation with his son, Jaycee Chan, and his wife, Joan Lin Feng-jiao. "That short meeting was the only time the three of us talked about the subject (although I was the only one doing any talking)," he wrote in "Never Grow Up." "It was never mentioned again."

By all accounts, Etta has little to no connection to her half-brother or her dad. As she told Express in 2015, "[Jackie] is my biological father but he is not in my life. He never existed in my life. I will never regard him as a father." Despite the estrangement, one might assume that Etta lives comfortably. However, according to a 2022 report from Malay Mail (via the South China Morning Post), she was spotted in a breadline in Toronto. Per the SCMP, Jaycee's half-sister has struggled with financial insecurity for years; Jackie has reportedly never provided financial support. 

In a since-deleted YouTube video from 2018 (via People), Etta stated that she and her girlfriend were unhoused. "We've been homeless for a month due to homophobic parents," she said. (According to PinkNews, when Jackie was asked about Etta coming out, he replied, "If she likes it, that's fine.")

Jaycee Chan went to school in 2002 for music and acting at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Evidently, it wasn't the right fit, and he dropped out after two semesters. As he told The New York Times, "I wanted to be a musician. All you can see in Virginia is sheep." In 2003, Jaycee relocated to Hong Kong and hit ground running, diving headfirst into the movie and music industries. 

As the son of film legend Jackie Chan, Jaycee had some major shoes to fill. However, Jaycee didn't want a movie star career handed to him on a silver platter. "[Jaycee said], 'I don't want my father to help me. I want to do it myself. I want to show the world without my father I can do it myself,'" Jackie shared in his aforementioned conversation with the AP. 

Unfortunately, a number of Jaycee's projects were colossal failures. He made his feature film debut in "The Twins Effect II," in which he played a character called Charcoal Head. He continued to land other small parts until eventually booking his biggest flop, "Double Trouble," in 2012. The film, which also starred Chinese actor Xia Yu, was an action comedy reminiscent of Jaycee's father's hit action comedy "Rush Hour." Alas, "Double Trouble" only brought in a measly $9,000 in its first two weeks in Hong Kong. Reviews were no better; Slant gave the flick one star and zeroed in on the exceptionally bad CGI and laughably bad in-fight edits.

Jaycee Chan started further pursuing music in 2003 after his move to Hong Kong. Even though he was beginning to work out his acting muscles, music was evidently more of his passion and he knew how to play piano, drums, guitar, and bass. He told reporters (via The Times Picayune) on the sidelines of the "Break Up Club" movie premiere in 2010, "My music career is actually more important than my movie career because music is me, only. I create them (the songs), I sing them, I write them, I direct most of my own music videos."

He released his first record, simply titled "Jaycee" in September of 2004. Consisting of indie pop sung in Mandarin, the album failed commercially and was panned by critics. One anonymous reviewer on Yes Asia, for instance, left a less than encouraging review on the body of work: "Let me be the first to say that it was horrible. Well some good songs were in there, but it was pathetic to make an album." The record's negative perception in the media did not deter Jaycee from wanting to pursue his creative endeavor. He told Newsweek in 2007 while filming for his movie "The Drummer" that the Hong Kong music market preferred romantic pop songs and ballads as opposed to his "Mandarin alternative folk." He released his next album "Chaos" in 2010 to similar reception. He has not released a full album since.

The conversation surrounding nepotism in Hollywood reached fever pitch in 2022 thanks to New York Magazine's explosive cover story about the topic. While some nepo babies have cringeworthy takes about whether or not their famous relatives gave them a leg up, others are open to acknowledging the doors they've had opened for them. 

Jaycee Chan has never been one to pretend he isn't related to a generational icon, but he has admitted that it's been tough to step outside of Jackie Chan's shadow. As he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2009, "It's easy to be known but it's hard to be famous. I'm lucky to have a dad who's really famous, but [people] don't really know me for who I am ... they just know me as Jackie Chan's son. The hardest part for me is to let people know what I'm really capable of doing on my own."

Even after the younger Chan's career took off, the shadow continued to loom large. In the aforementioned Slant review of his movie "Double Trouble," Jaycee was unable to escape the comparisons to his father: "Jackie Chan, in his prime, devised stunts 10 times as novel and a hundred times as ludicrous as any of the half-baked ones crammed into 'Double Trouble,' and he didn't need bad digital effects to pull them off convincingly."

In August 2014, Jaycee Chan was arrested following a large-scale drug bust involving another East Asian celebrity. The bust, which was part of a coordinated effort made by the Chinese government to rally against drug use, came after Jackie Chan's son was caught with 100 grams of marijuana and was also suspected of harboring other people in his Hong Kong residence. The other celebrity implicated was Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, who was also detained. Both stars were drug tested and came back with a positive test for marijuana. As reported by the BBC, Jaycee told the court, "I just gave them information and I confessed because I didn't know how to deal with the marijuana." Though Ko was released from detention after two weeks, Jaycee was not so lucky and Beijing police stated he'd been arrested for "providing a shelter for others to abuse drugs," according to the BBC.

As reported by The Guardian, other prominent Chinese celebrities like actor Gao Hu and director Zhang Yuan were also arrested for charges related to drugs in a crackdown spearheaded by Chinese president Xi Jinping.

In the wake of Jaycee's arrest, Chinese television and movie companies stated that they would not work with actors who'd been nabbed for drug use. Though Jaycee found success in the Chinese film market prior to his legal troubles, this arrest proved to be a significant hurdle for his career.

After being arrested, Jaycee Chan was eventually tried in Beijing's Eastern district courts for his various crimes. The other actor implicated, Kai Ko, was released shortly after his detention, leaving Jaycee to be detained for a longer period. Jaycee was reportedly cooperative during his arrest and trial, and he admitted to using and distributing marijuana. According to a microblog by the court (via the Guardian), he used his final statement to take accountability for his actions. "I have broken the law and should be punished," he said. "When I return to society, I will not repeat this because I have let my family and friends down yet again."

Jackie Chan's son was sentenced to six months behind bars. He was released from prison in February 2015. A few months later, he told Taiwan Apple Daily (via The Straits Times) that he spent his time in jail reading and writing.

After his release, Jaycee spoke at a press conference to apologize for his misconduct. "My supporters have been let down and my business partners have suffered losses. I do not have any reasons or excuses, I made a mistake," he said (via South China Morning Post). "I am here to offer my apology to the public for my mistakes. I'm truly sorry. From now, I must live the life of a lawful citizen."

Jaycee Chan's 2014 arrest hit Jackie Chan hard. "I should also take some of this responsibility because as his dad, I didn't teach him well," he said in a statement on his website (via E! News). "I extend our deepest apologies to everyone for the negative impact this has caused on society. Thank you."

Jackie was named China's "narcotics control ambassador" by Chinese police in 2009, just five years prior to his son's arrest. "When I first heard the news, I was absolutely enraged. As a public figure, I feel very ashamed; as his dad, I'm very sad and disappointed," Jackie continued. "But the person who feels heartbroken the most is his mom. I hope our younger generation will learn from Jaycee's mistake and stay far away from drug abuse."

The brands Jaycee once partnered with were disappointed too. According to Jing Daily, endorsements were drying up due to the onslaught of bad press, all but bringing his career to a halt. 

Anderson Cooper has no plans to leave heaps of money to his children. Daniel Craig has no interest in giving his kids an inheritance. Marie Osmond won't leave her fortune to her seven living children. And Jackie Chan has said his money won't go to his son. 

Given his legacy, it checks out that Jackie is incredibly wealthy. His movie empire along with his other business ventures have reportedly garnered him a net worth of close to $400 million. Naturally some would assume some of his riches will go to his family one day. However, Jackie has other intentions for his money after he dies.

While accepting an award in Beijing back in 2011, Jackie revealed that he will be giving 100% of his money to charity once he dies, with none going to his family or friends. He'd originally intended to donate half, but his own upbringing inspired a change of heart. "When I was a child, I was very poor and wanted everything. So when I got money I began buying things. Now I want to give away everything. When I give somebody something and see their face, it just makes me so happy," he told Forbes. In his aforementioned acceptance speech, Jackie explained why he does not want Jaycee to inherit his fortune. "If he is capable, he can make his own money," he said (via Metro). "If he is not, then he will just be wasting my money."

Shortly after Jaycee Chan was released from prison, his superstar dad gave him a haircut. In February 2015, Jaycee posted two photos on Sina Weibo (via China Daily) of Jackie Chan trimming his hair and noted it was a new beginning. By all accounts, the two seem to have only continued to move forward.

Evidently, Jackie has had some regrets about how he raised Jaycee. In his aforementioned interview with the Associated Press, the movie legend shared, "I was too Chinese, traditional — 'you, son, go away, I don't want to help you, you have to help yourself.'" He went on to say that another actor changed his perspective on parenthood in show business. "After 'The Karate Kid,' and seeing Will Smith stop [his own work] for half a year to help his son to make the movie, every day on the set, carrying his son on the mountain, I said, 'why am I so stubborn? I have to help my son,'" he shared.

After the arrest, the father and son did team up on a project. In 2016, Jaycee and Jackie shared the screen in "Railroad Tigers." According to China Daily, Jaycee's role was kept under wraps until the movie premiered. Jaycee's acting career hasn't really ramped back up since the arrest, but he has dug into his music career. In 2024, he released a song called "In Search For Darkness," a contemplative and reflective piece featuring different moments in his life.