KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 — Fresh off winning the Oscars for Best Actress, everyone now wants a piece of Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh.
While a heated debate online among Malaysians focused more on the win as not one for Malaysia, rather a personal victory for Yeoh — social media users in China were quick to congratulate her as China's first actress to win the Oscars, according to Udn.com.
Other Chinese social media users were quick to correct their countrymen and pointed out that Yeoh is actually a Malaysian.
“Please do not stake a claim on everything,” one social media remarked.
In Hong Kong, actor Chapman To reminded the Hong Kong government not to be too quick in claiming Yeoh as their own.
Taking to social media, To pointed out that Yeoh is a Malaysian.
“Please do not simply claim. Thank you,” he wrote in the post that had received over 52,000 reactions.
Hong Kong Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung had come under fire in January after congratulating Yeoh after her Golden Globes win for the same category, claiming her as a Hong Kong actor.
Meanwhile, a Sky News reporter covering the Vanity Fair Oscar Party got in on the act by making the most unique claim yet.
Twitter user Alex Andreou shared a clip online where the reporter said Yeoh is a British-Asian.
British media is doing that thing British media does on Oscars morning, that I love.Michelle Yeoh is, apparently, British-Asian. Which will come as news to most people, including Michelle Yeoh. pic.twitter.com/V8IKZMtyLb
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) March 13, 2023
Another Twitter user MikeyPap summarised the claims on Yeoh the best.
this to say about people who claimed Yeoh to be theirs.
“Technically she was everything, everywhere...etc etc,” he said, referring to the film that bagged Yeoh the Oscars, Everything, Everywhere All at Once.
Technically she was everything, everywhere...etc etc
— MikeyPap (@MikeyPap) March 13, 2023
