One Jailed, One Homeless… What's The Truth About Jackie Chan’s Relationship With His Children?

Jackie Chan is one of the most beloved action stars in the world. But while the world saw him as a hero — even a family man — the truth about his relationship with his children tells a very different story. His son, Jaycee, was arrested and sent to jail. His daughter, Etta, said she was homeless, abandoned, and sleeping under a bridge. So what happened? What’s the real story behind Jackie Chan’s broken relationship with his children? Watch the full video to find out. Don’t forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and hit the bell icon to get notified as I upload a new video. Let’s go on. Jackie Chan is without a doubt one of the most iconic action stars in movie history. His movies, full of martial arts and stunts, made people around the world love him. He starred in over 150 films, won many awards, and even got an honorary Oscar. He also made a huge fortune. At the height of his career, Jackie’s earnings ranked just behind the biggest names in Hollywood. As of 2025, his net worth is estimated at around $400 million. To the public, Jackie had it all: success, money, and fame. But behind that success, his family life was falling apart. He once said: “Success doesn’t mean anything if you fail your family.” And sadly, that’s exactly what happened. In 1981, Jackie met Taiwanese actress Joan Lin. The two married quietly in Los Angeles in December 1982, and the very next day, their son, Jaycee Chan, was born. At the time, Jackie’s career was exploding across Asia and breaking into Hollywood. He was constantly filming, traveling, and promoting, with barely any time left for his new family. Jackie later admitted that he was rarely home and barely saw Jaycee while he was growing up. Most of the parenting was left to Joan. She was so devoted to their son that she often overcompensated for Jackie’s absence—spoiling Jaycee and giving him everything he wanted. Jackie was not only distant but also physically harsh. He once admitted to beating Jaycee severely and even throwing him onto a couch. Although he later regretted it and promised never to hit him again, the damage had already been done. In his own memoir, Jackie later wrote: "As a child, Jaycee got to see me only in the small hours of the morning. I was always happy to spend time with him, but he seemed so unenthusiastic around me." And things only got more complicated. In 1999, Jackie’s image as a respected family man was shattered by a shocking revelation — he had fathered a child through an affair with beauty queen and former Miss Asia, Elaine Ng. The news sparked a huge scandal across Asia. Elaine was 19 years younger than Jackie, and the affair was widely criticized. When the story broke, Jackie publicly admitted to cheating and called it “a mistake that many men make.” While he confirmed that he was the father of Elaine’s daughter, Etta, he refused to take any role in raising her. He completely distanced himself from both Elaine and the child, offering no financial or emotional support. Despite everything, Jackie’s wife, Joan, eventually forgave him. But that betrayal likely left a deep scar — both for her and for Jaycee, who was 17 at the time. Jaycee tried to find his own path, but growing up as the son of one of the world’s most famous stars wasn’t easy. After finishing high school, he enrolled at the prestigious College of William & Mary in Virginia, USA. However, he dropped out during his first year to pursue a music career. Despite his parents’ wishes—especially his father’s, who wanted him far away from show business—Jaycee moved from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and released his first Mandarin pop album in 2004. Though he wrote and composed some of his own songs, his music career was a commercial failure. Hoping to expand his career, Jaycee shifted into acting, appearing in films like The Twins Effect II, 2 Young, and 1911. But his performances failed to make a strong impression, and most of his films struggled at the box office. Critics often remarked that, while Jaycee carried his father's famous name, he lacked the charisma and physical presence that made Jackie Chan a legend. Then, in 2014, things took a dramatic and irreversible turn. Jaycee was arrested in Beijing during a drug bust. Authorities found over 100 grams of marijuana in his apartment, and he was sentenced to six months in prison. The news shocked the world — but Jackie’s reaction stunned people even more. Rather than privately supporting his son, he publicly condemned him. In a statement, he wrote: "When I first heard the news, I was absolutely enraged. As a public figure, I feel very ashamed; as his dad, I’m very sad and disappointed." Speaking to his son, he added: "You’ve done something wrong and you have to be responsible for the consequences." Despite his immense wealth and influence, Jackie chose not to intervene or use any of his connections to reduce Jaycee’s sentence. During the six months Jaycee spent in prison, Jackie never visited him—not even once. Although their relationship appeared severely damaged, there was a brief glimpse of reconciliation after Jaycee’s release. Jackie posted photos of himself cutting his son’s hair, which many interpreted as a quiet attempt to reconnect. But that hope was quickly shattered when Jackie publicly declared that his son would not inherit a single cent of his estimated $400 million fortune. Instead, he announced that 100% of his wealth would be donated to charity. “If he is capable, he can make his own money. If he is not, then he will just be wasting mine,” he said. To many, it felt like a second punishment. But if Jaycee’s story is tragic, Etta’s is even more heartbreaking. She was raised solely by her mother in Hong Kong before eventually moving to Toronto, Canada, in search of a quieter life. But the absence of a father figure loomed heavily. In 2015, Etta spoke openly to E! News about her estrangement from Jackie. “He is my biological father, but he is not in my life. He never existed in my life. I will never regard him as a father,” she said. “As long as I have my mother with me, I don’t need my father.” However, even her relationship with her mother was far from perfect. Etta later accused her mother of being cruel and abusive, a situation that deeply affected her mental health. She eventually dropped out of school and began to struggle with a series of emotional and psychological challenges. In 2017, Etta came out as a lesbian on Instagram and revealed she was in a relationship with social media influencer Andi Autumn, who was 12 years older than her. Their romance quickly became serious, and by 2018, they announced they had married in a quiet ceremony. That same year, Etta made headlines when she claimed she and Andi were homeless. In a now-deleted YouTube video, Etta stated that they had been sleeping “under a bridge and other places” for over a month, blaming their situation on “homophobic parents.” In the video, she directly identified herself as Jackie Chan’s daughter and claimed he had refused to help them. Etta and her partner were also reportedly kicked out of a hostel in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, after failing to pay the equivalent of $250 USD in rent. Through it all, Jackie Chan remained silent, never addressing the scandal publicly. Today, Etta is 25 years old. She eventually moved back to Canada and, according to reports, now works at a restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown, still struggling to make ends meet. To this day, she and Jackie remain completely estranged. Jaycee, now 42, has also kept a low profile since his release from prison. He’s dabbled in music and occasionally appears at small events, but his career never fully recovered. He lives a quiet life—still without his father’s support or public recognition. Jackie Chan is a man who achieved the impossible. He rose from poverty to become a global icon. But maybe, as a father, he didn’t live up to the same success. Do you think he could have treated his children differently? Share your thoughts in the comments. And that's it, if you enjoyed the video and want more like it, be sure to leave a thumbs up below in appreciation. And if you haven't already, you really want to subscribe, subscribe to my channel, and tick the bell icon so you get notified as I upload a new video every week. See you in the next video.