Xu describes childbirth and explains why the family stayed private
Chinese singer Xu Yiyang has said she personally gave birth to her son with husband Huang Zitao, rejecting surrogacy rumors and explaining that she underwent a cesarean section because the baby was in a breech position. She said their only child was born in 2024 and is now a little over two years old.
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Speaking during a livestream, Xu also addressed speculation about the boy's nationality after online claims that the couple had visited a hospital in the United States in August 2024. She said both parents and their son are Chinese, and that the child would grow up and receive his education in China.
Xu, a singer and former SM Entertainment trainee, directly rejected claims that another woman had carried the couple's child:
"We only have one child, and I gave birth to him myself. I hope everyone will stop spreading malicious rumors," she said.
Her explanation followed the couple's public announcement of parenthood through beach photographs posted on Weibo on October 15, 2026. The images showed the couple holding hands with a toddler beside the sea, bringing a family matter they had kept private into public view.
Xu said the decision to speak publicly was connected to their son's approaching start at school. She rejected suggestions that the announcement was intended to attract attention to the couple's livestream sales.
The discussion has drawn together several different parts of their private life: the circumstances of the birth, their decision to keep parenthood private, and questions about citizenship. Xu gave a detailed account of the first two, while her comments about nationality left some viewers seeking a more specific answer.
What Xu said about her son's birth
Xu said she had a C-section because her baby was breech. A breech position means a baby is positioned with the bottom or feet toward the birth canal instead of the head. A cesarean section is an operation in which doctors deliver a baby through incisions in the mother's abdomen and womb.
Her account supplied a specific medical reason for the delivery method and a direct response to the allegation that she had used a surrogate. Surrogacy means another woman carries a pregnancy for the intended parent or parents. It is prohibited in China.
The couple had already rejected surrogacy allegations in 2025. At that time, a statement issued through a lawyer denied the claims, while their agency said they had committed no unlawful acts.
In its June 25, 2025 statement, Huang's studio said it had detected internet users repeatedly publishing and spreading false statements about him, seriously infringing his lawful rights and interests, and had instructed lawyers to pursue their legal responsibility. It urged internet users and media to respect the facts, neither create, believe nor spread rumors, and respect the artists' privacy and personal lives without disturbing them or speculating, to help maintain a healthy, orderly online environment.
The studio said claims and malicious speculation that Huang and Xu had used a surrogate were entirely fabricated, seriously inaccurate and extremely damaging to both artists' reputations. Its denial read:
所谓'黄子韬徐艺洋夫妇涉及代孕'的传闻，纯属恶意捏造的虚假信息，完全背离事实。两位艺人从未实施、参与任何形式的代孕行为，相关谣言系对艺人私生活的严重诽谤与无端干涉。"
"The so-called rumors that 'Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang are involved in surrogacy' are maliciously fabricated false information that completely departs from the facts. The two artists have never undertaken or participated in any form of surrogacy. The related rumors constitute serious defamation of, and unwarranted interference in, the artists' private lives.
The studio also said the couple and the company, as law-abiding citizens and socially responsible public figures, had always observed national laws and regulations and upheld public and professional ethics. It said they firmly opposed all forms of surrogacy, supported the laws, regulations and policies prohibiting it, and fulfilled their civic obligations and social responsibilities.
Those earlier responses left the question of whether the couple had become parents unanswered. Xu's latest remarks address that question directly: she says they have one son and that she carried and delivered him herself.
Why they waited to share the news
Xu described feeling emotionally vulnerable during the period when she wanted to keep the news private. She said she often cried over small things and did not feel ready to make their family situation public.
Huang, a singer who rose to fame with the group EXO, had wanted to announce the news, according to Xu. She said he respected her wish to wait. Her explanation presents the delay as a decision made within the marriage, with the timing shaped by how she was feeling.
Their son's approaching start at school eventually gave them a reason to speak, she said. Publicly acknowledging him now allows the couple to discuss a part of their lives that had already attracted repeated attention online.
Xu also rejected a commercial explanation for the timing. Because the couple sell products through livestreams, some viewers suggested the family announcement was meant to generate interest in those broadcasts. Xu said the decision concerned their child and his next stage of life.
Beach photographs made parenthood public
The October 15 Weibo post showed a quieter family scene than the debate that followed it. Xu shared photographs from a holiday with Huang and friends, including images of the couple holding a toddler's hands on a beach at sunset.
Xu accompanied the photographs with a message about being together with the people she loves:
With the sunset spreading across the sea, those whom I love are all by my side.
The photographs publicly acknowledged parenthood after speculation stretching back to 2024. Some social media users focused on the child's ability to walk and jump, suggesting he appeared to be at least two years old. Xu subsequently gave a more direct account of his age, saying he was born in 2024 and was a little over two.
The family photographs also renewed attention to older footage and comments. Viewers revisited Huang's televised proposal and an October 2024 livestream in which he referred to spending time with children before changing his wording to refer to an older brother.
Speculation about Xu's clothing and appearance during the proposal had also circulated. Xu's account of the birth now puts her own description of the pregnancy and delivery at the center of a discussion previously driven largely by sightings and interpretations of images.
How the public timeline unfolded
Huang and Xu confirmed their relationship in July 2024, registered their marriage that December and held their wedding celebration in Beijing in October 2025. Their public confirmation of parenthood came later.
The main dates show how announcements about their relationship developed alongside growing interest in whether they had a child:
- April 2024: Huang proposed to Xu while filming a television program. The proposal aired on the variety show Dare or Not in August.
- July 14, 2024: The couple publicly confirmed their relationship.
- August 2024: An online user claimed to have seen them attending a prenatal appointment at a hospital in Los Angeles.
- October 2024: Huang's wording about children during a livestream later became part of the online discussion.
- December 2, 2024: The couple announced their marriage registration. Xu was also photographed looking at a baby cot that month.
- June 2025: Images of Xu's mother carrying a baby prompted renewed speculation and statements rejecting surrogacy allegations.
- October 16, 2025: The couple held their wedding in Beijing. Paparazzi alleged that a toddler believed to be their son attended the celebration.
- October 15, 2026: Xu shared the beach photographs that publicly confirmed they were parents.
The marriage registration and wedding celebration were separate events, almost a year apart. Registration formally records a marriage; the later wedding was the couple's celebration.
What Xu said about Chinese citizenship
The citizenship debate grew out of claims that Huang and Xu visited a hospital in the United States in August 2024 and stayed in the country for a period. Some online users connected that alleged visit with the possibility that their son had been born there and acquired U.S. citizenship.
Huang's patriotic public image added attention to the speculation. During the livestream, Xu responded by describing the nationality of all three family members:
"The two of us are Chinese, and our child is Chinese too," she said.
Xu added that the boy would grow up and receive his education in China. That was her clearest statement about where the family intends to raise him.
She did not specify his birthplace or directly answer whether he holds U.S. citizenship, which is why some viewers remained dissatisfied. Citizenship is a legal status, while a family's plans for where a child will live and attend school concern his upbringing. Xu spoke about both Chinese identity and education in China, but did not provide further details about citizenship documentation.
Privacy concerns reach beyond the couple
Xu's mother became part of the public discussion in June 2025, when paparazzi photographed her carrying a baby home. A nanny was also reported to have been present as they entered the underground parking area at Huang's residence.
The couple's agency condemned the monitoring of Xu's mother as an invasion of privacy. Its response addressed the conduct of photographers as well as the allegations spreading about the family.
In the privacy provisions of its statement, the studio expressed its strongest indignation and condemnation of all invasions of privacy, particularly covert photography and other illegal activities at private residences. It especially condemned targeting people who are not public figures, saying they enjoy an absolute right to privacy. It said entering private spaces through illegal means or taking covert photographs without permission seriously violated the privacy and personal-information protections of China's Civil Code, and warned all organizations and individuals conducting or planning illegal photography or tracking to stop immediately. The monitoring the studio said it had undertaken concerned online statements about Huang, not Xu's mother.
The studio said it had comprehensively collected evidence of the infringing content. It called on internet users and media spreading or planning to spread the false information to delete it immediately and stop all infringements. It said it would use all legal means to hold accountable individuals and organizations that continued spreading rumors, refused to remove infringing information or otherwise violated its artists' lawful rights, with the resulting legal consequences borne by those responsible.
During the latest livestream, Xu became emotional after reading a comforting message from a friend. Huang then appeared and reacted to her distress.
Huang, speaking as Xu's husband, asked:
Who bullied my wife?
He went on to question why private family matters should be shared with strangers. Xu covered his mouth to stop him from continuing.
The exchange reflected the tension visible throughout the couple's account: Xu wanted to answer persistent allegations, while Huang objected to the pressure to explain intimate family matters publicly. Their son is now publicly acknowledged, and Xu has set out her account of his birth and their plans to raise him in China.
Key Points
- Xu Yiyang said she gave birth to her only son in 2024 and had a C-section because he was breech.
- She denied surrogacy allegations and said emotional vulnerability had led her to keep parenthood private.
- Huang Zitao and Xu registered their marriage in December 2024 and celebrated their wedding in October 2025.
- Beach photographs posted on October 15, 2026, publicly confirmed that the couple were parents.
- Xu said their son is Chinese and will grow up and attend school in China, without directly addressing whether he holds U.S. citizenship.
- She said the timing of the announcement was connected to their son's approaching start at school, not livestream sales.
