Actress Michelle Chen and actor Chen Xiao divorce after 9 years of marriage

(From L) Chinese actor Chen Xiao, his son Chen Muchen, and his wife, Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen. Photo from Michelle Chen's Instagram

According to The Straits Times, both actors shared statements on their respective Weibo accounts, expressing mutual respect and a commitment to co-parent their child.

"I am grateful for our time together and wish you the best for the future," the statement read. "We remain committed to co-parenting our son and supporting his growth."

Rumors about the couple’s marital troubles first emerged in 2017. Despite this, Michelle Chen consistently celebrated Chen Xiao’s birthdays on social media from 2019 to 2021 and shared family photos in 2019 and 2020, as well as an intimate snapshot of Chen Xiao sleeping with their son in 2021.

However, the couple had not been publicly seen together since Michelle Chen’s birthday in May 2023, and there were no birthday wishes exchanged publicly in 2024.

In June 2024, a Chinese paparazzo suggested that divorce proceedings were underway, although neither had confirmed or denied the rumors at that time. Speculation intensified after Michelle Chen’s father passed away in Dec. 2024, and Chen Xiao did not attend the funeral in Taiwan, choosing instead to appear at a promotional event in Chengdu, China.

Speculation was further fueled in late January when it appeared the couple spent the Lunar New Year separately. Analysis of their Weibo accounts’ IP locations showed Chen Xiao in his hometown in Anhui province and Michelle Chen in Beijing.

Michelle Chen, 42, is renowned for her role in the 2011 coming-of-age romance film "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and her participation in the 2021 season of the Chinese TV show "Sisters Who Make Waves."

Chen Xiao, 38, is celebrated for his performances in TV series such as "Palace 3: The Lost Daughter," "Swordsman," and "Nothing Gold Can Stay."

The couple first met on the set of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" in 2013, where Chen Xiao developed a secret crush on Michelle Chen. He proposed in 2015 with a custom statue representing her character from the series on a yacht adorned with roses.

They married in Beijing in 2016 and share an eight-year-old son Chen Muchen, affectionately known as Little Star.