Simu Liu is standing firm in his decision to call out one business for cultural appropriation … after facing off against the owners on a “Shark Tank”-esque show.
The actor, who is Chinese-Canadian, appeared on a recent episode of CBC’s “Dragons’ Den” … where businesses pitch their ventures to potential investors.
The Marvel superstar bubbled over with frustration after Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette pitched their version of bubble tea, or boba, titled Bobba … claiming they had transformed the popular Asian beverage into “a convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience.”
Liu first spoke out during their pitch when Frenette suggested consumers were never “quite sure” about what was in bubble tea … prompting the “Barbie” star to defend the Taiwanese drink.
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He added … “Hang on, hang on. I am quite sure about its content, but continue.”
Liu was further frustrated with business owners when they claimed they were “disturbing” the boba market with their take on bubble tea … with the actor accusing them of “cultural appropriation.”
He noted … “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”
Frenette and Fiset later defended their partner is based out of Taiwan … and creates their recipes.
Liu chose not to invest in the product … noting he wants “to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this.”
He continued … “I started this venture company for a lot of reasons but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs. Not only do I feel like this is not happening here, but that I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage.”
It didn’t take long for this exchange between Liu and the Bobba founders to go viral online … prompting an immense amount of backlash against Frenette and Fiset.
Liu took to TikTok Saturday to call for the harassment to end … saying he believed Frenette and Fiset came on the show “in good faith.”
He continued … “There were a lot of things with the pitch that I took issue with and I disagreed with and as a result, I pulled out as a potential investor but that doesn’t mean that I believe that they deserve harassment and threats. I think a lot of grace should be afforded to them.”
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The show expressed a similar sentiment as the controversy grew … but “Dragons’ Den” panelist Manjit Minhas — who invested $1 million in the company for an 18% stake — has since withdrawn her deal.
Bobba has issued an apology for their pitch on “Dragons’ Den,” acknowledging Liu’s “very valid points.”