Why Jackie Chan won’t pass his fortune down to his son, donate it to charity instead: ‘If he is capable…’

Did you know that Jackie Chan has announced his decision to donate his fortune to charity, instead of passing it down to his son, Jaycee?

Actor Jackie Chan recently turned 67. He remains one of the world’s highest-paid stars, who enjoys fame not only in Asia, but also in Hollywood. Forbes estimated that he made $40 million between June 2019 and June 2020.

But did you know that a decade ago, the actor had said that he would donate the entirety of his reported $350 million net worth to charity, and not pass it on to his son, Jaycee?

“If he is capable, he can make his own money. If he is not, then he will just be wasting my money,” Channel NewsAsia quoted Jackie as saying in 2011. The actor also expressed regret that he hadn’t insisted that his son enroll in the army when he was younger, to ‘temper his character’.

Jaycee is the only son of Jackie and his wife, Joan Lin, who married in 1982. He is an actor and musician. In 2014, it was reported that Jaycee was arrested for drug possession.

On Weibo, Jackie had apologised on behalf of his son. He said that he was ‘extremely furious’ about the incident. “I hope that young people will see Jaycee as a cautionary tale and stay away from drugs,” he wrote, adding, “I failed to teach my son and I should also bear responsibility. Jaycee and I deeply bow in apology to society.”

After his release from jail, Jaycee posted an image on social media, of his father giving him a haircut. Jackie was last seen in the action film Vanguard, released in 2020.