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| Liu Yifei’s Magnolia Awards Walkout Sparks Wild Showbiz Backlash (Sohu) |
So China’s entertainment circles have been properly rattled this week after superstar Liu Yifei did a shock disappearing act at the 2025 Magnolia Awards — leaving her seat empty, her co-stars holding yellow roses in her place, and the entire drama industry chattering non-stop.
It all looked rosy to begin with. LiuYifei rocked up to the Magnolia nominee banquet in a glorious gold Louis Vuitton gown, skipping a big LV catwalk show just to be there. That alone had everyone convinced she was basically guaranteed to win Best Actress for The Tale of Rose. She was all smiles with the jury, happily mingling with the other nominees — the textbook picture of a confident frontrunner.
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But then, plot twist. On the day of the main ceremony (27 June), word came around 5pm that Liu’s entire schedule had been pulled. She ditched the red carpet, never showed her face at the awards, and her name vanished from the official guest list.
Her co-stars turned up looking grim, clutching yellow roses in her honour while she was nowhere to be seen. To top it off, the Best Actress trophy ended up with Song Jia for She and Her Girls, leaving everyone wondering if Liu Yifei’s exit was a protest or just a bad sports moment.
The Rumour Mill Goes Wild
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Of course, the internet couldn’t sit still. Here’s what people are speculating:
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She Knew She’d Lost – Gossip says Liu Yifei’s team heard in advance she wouldn’t win and pulled her to avoid the awkwardness of losing.
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Citizenship Fuss – Some netizens wondered if her US citizenship secretly counted against her, even though Magnolia doesn’t officially block foreign nationals.
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“Unspoken Rules” – It’s no secret in C-ent that nominees sometimes get tipped off about results. Liu has a rep for only showing up if she’s sure she’ll bag the prize, which sparked even more backlash.
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Sore Loser Allegations – Critics reckon she just couldn’t handle being beaten and snubbed the organisers in a fit of bad grace.
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Standing on Principle – Her die-hard fans, though, say she refused to play along with a rigged game, calling her a woman of integrity.
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Broken Promises – Some drama bloggers reckon she was promised a win that got yanked away last-minute, leaving her team fuming.
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Blame the Rain? – A few tried to pin it on Shanghai’s downpour, but no big media outlet backed that up.
To make matters even spicier, a supposed post from the Magnolia committee surfaced afterwards, saying:
“Respect the rules, and you will gain respect from your peers.”
Pretty cryptic — but most took that as a thinly veiled slap aimed straight at Liu.
Public Reaction: Properly Split
This entire meltdown dominated Weibo, with “Liu Yifei’s absence” racking up over 360 million views in a single night. Opinions were totally divided:
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Arrogant? Some reckon she threw her toys out the pram, showing zero respect for fellow nominees or the event.
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Courageous? Others say she stood up for herself, refusing to be part of a dodgy system.
The damage to her image is hard to deny, though — after years of being praised for poise and emotional intelligence, skipping one of China’s most prestigious awards has left some folks doubting her class.
At the same time, the Magnolia Awards themselves took a reputational hit. A lot of people are now asking: is the whole thing transparent and fair, or just a puppet show run by backroom deals?
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Commercial Fallout — Or Not
Despite all the fuss, Louis Vuitton stuck by Liu, no drama there. In fact, her stunning appearance at the nominee banquet grabbed so much global press that LV probably ended up chuffed with the coverage.
One way or another, Liu Yifei’s Magnolia Awards vanishing act exposed the underbelly of the Chinese showbiz scene — where political games, hidden promises, and big egos can matter just as much as acting skills. Whether she was staging a silent protest or simply sulking, Liu Yifei’s no-show turned into one of the hottest controversies of the year, and a proper cautionary tale about how messy these award circuits can get.