Chinese actor Tian Xuning’s absence from the variety show Hello Saturday has ignited discussion after his footage was removed from broadcast.
Chinese Variety Show Hello Saturday “Erases” Another Person
The actor, who recently skyrocketed in popularity, participated in the episode recorded on July 7, 2025, alongside celebrities such as Meng Ziyi, Zhou Ye, Cheng Lei, and Lars Huang. Despite reportedly performing two songs and actively engaging in games with co-host Yang Di, his presence was noticeably absent in last week’s preview for said episode. When the full episode finally aired today, August 16, fans discovered that his scenes were either blurred, cut, or reduced to a flicker.
Speculation quickly spread that the cuts were linked to ongoing controversies surrounding Tian Xuning from starring in BL, which is now “controversial” in China to his fans causing chaos in the plane and the actor’s personal controversies. With Hunan TV known to be very “careful” about what they air and often choosing to “erase” a person who may be deemed problematic, speculations suggest Tian Xuning may be facing unofficial broadcast restrictions, particularly from major televised platforms.
Fans who attended the live recording are calling his cut from the show a “loss for the program.” However, many fans were also divided. Some thanked the show for inviting the actor despite his controversies, while others accused the producers of exploiting his popularity for promotion only to erase him later.
Despite the setback, Tian Xuning continues to build his international presence, recently surpassing 800,000 Instagram followers with only a handful of posts—quite impressive for a rising star in Chinese entertainment. Fans turn their focus to the actor’s current projects as he is busy filming One Day in July.
Photo: Tian Xu Ning
