Explained: Why Former EXO Member Tao Is Facing Backlash Over Viral Livestream Clip?
Former member of the popular K-pop group EXO, Tao, also known as Huang Zitao, landed in a huge controversy.
A single clip or photo can easily cause a big stir online, and that is exactly what took place recently. Former member of the popular K-pop group EXO, Tao, also known as Huang Zitao, landed in a huge controversy. A video that quickly went viral showed the singer appearing to slap his wife. This led to many negative comments, though his fans stepped up to defend the idol. Read on to know what actually happened and why so many viewers rushed to pick sides in the argument that broke out.
Playful Banter Or Crossing The Line? Former EXO Member Tao Under Fire For Viral Video With Wife!
A brief part of a livestream with his wife, actress and singer Xu Yiyang, went viral and gained millions of views. In the clip the couple seemed to slap each other. Some viewers blamed Tao right away and said a man should never strike a woman.
muito louco como as redes sociais conseguem espalhar desinformação tão rapidamente e torná-la plausível mesmo não sendo verdade pic.twitter.com/Auqo3Av7aO https://t.co/Gao9iB57AD
— ؘ (@keehono_) August 10, 2026
Fans answered by posting longer pieces of the same stream. They explained that Tao and Xu Yiyang were simply playing a game. Both had agreed to it, both laughed, and Xu Yiyang hit back just as lightly. They called the short clip incomplete and asked everyone to watch the full video before judging. Fans said the moment looked like normal playful teasing between a married couple, not any sort of anger or harm. Many people also told others who barely knew the pair to stop jumping to dark conclusions.
For the unversed, Huang Zitao began his career in EXO and its Chinese unit EXO-M. After leaving the group, he built a solo career in China as a rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Xu Yiyang is a Chinese singer and actress who once trained at SM Entertainment. The two first met when she was still a trainee and he was in EXO. After both left the company, they met again in Shanghai in 2018. Rumours about them dating began in 2020 when Tao mentored on Produce Camp 2020 while Xu competed and later joined his company.
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Later, they told fans that they were together through Weibo. Following which, Tao proposed on August 26, 2024, during his reality show Dare or Not. Soon, the couple announced their marriage on December 2, 2024.
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First Published: August 11, 2026 1:26 PM
