Who is Shou Zi Chew married to? Ethnicity explored amid Tom Cotton racist controversy

Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton tore into TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about his potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday. While questioning him about his nationality in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, the former not only asked the businessman about his political leanings but also about his wife, Vivian Kao's citizenship.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, Discord CEO Jason Citron, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew were ordered to testify before the Senate on Wednesday during a hearing, titled Big Tech and the Online Child S*xual Exploitation.

During the same, Tom Cotton grilled Shou Zi Chew about his possible connection to the Chinese Communist Party, as TikTok was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs ByteDance Ltd. Cotton started off by asking Chew, “of what nation are you a citizen?" to which Chew responded, “Singapore.”

Shou Zi Chew testified that he holds a Singaporean passport and also served in the National Service as a commissioned officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.

As per several news outlets, Shou Zi Chew is of Singaporean nationality. The Wall Street Journal claimed that he is of Chinese ancestry, like most Singaporeans.

Tom Cotton then stated that Chew’s wife and children are American citizens. He went on to ask the business mogul whether he had applied for American citizenship.

Shockingly, Cotton then asked the TikTok leader whether he was ever a member of the Chinese communist party, to which Shou Zi Chew repeatedly clarified that he was a Singaporean and was never affiliated with the political group.

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Shou Zi Chew’s wife Vivian Kao is a businesswoman and financial expert

Shou Zi Chew met Vivian Kao, who is of Taiwanese descent, in 2008 while the pair were studying together at Harvard. In November 2020, the pair shared:

“HBS [Harvard Business School] is what we have in common... We are grateful for what HBS has done for us, and we want to provide more opportunities for future generations.”

Shou Zi Chew and Vivian Kao are parents to three children (Image via Getty Images)

A British news outlet revealed that Vivian Kao is an investor, businesswoman, and financial expert. She reportedly graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2010. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Chinese Studies.

Before becoming the CEO of her own company, Vivian Kao served as the general manager of Chope, a restaurant booking platform. She went on to become the chief growth officer of WeLab, one of Asia’s biggest fintech companies.

Today, she is the CEO of Tamarind Global, which manages the investments and philanthropies of Singaporeans. She is also the non-executive director of Sun Hung Kai & Co., an investing firm based in Hong Kong.

Vivian Kao has also served on the Board of Trustees at Wellesley College.

The couple has not publicly spoken about their children in the past. However, it has been reported that they are parents to three children. In a shocking twist, Chew revealed that his children are not allowed to use TikTok.

He claimed that this is due to the children’s residences in Singapore and their young age. In an interview, he revealed:

“TikTok here in the US, if you are below 13 you get a very restrictive version of TikTok. In many other countries around the world, we don’t allow users who are below 13.”

TikTok has faced grilling from several politicians due to its parent company being Chinese. Many have speculated that the Chinese government could be misusing the data gathered on the platform.