Joe Tay’s two marriages and three affairs

April 8 – Joseph Tay, a former Hong Kong actor and candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the Markham-Unionville, was brought to media limelight, after his rival encouraged supporters to turn Tay over to the Chinese consulate for a HK$1 million (US$128,540) bounty.

The Hong Kong Police’s National Security Department released a new list of wanted individuals in December 2024, which includes six overseas Hong Kongers. Each individual on the list has a bounty of HK$1 million attached to their names.

Among the six, Tay certainly has the most colorful life, as the former entertainer had at least  three affairs during his first marriage in the 1990s, resulting in his first divorce, according to Hong Kong media reports.

In the 1980s, Tay made his name known to Hong Kong’s entertainment industry after his song “Home Alone” won a pop song composition competition in 1991. On top of his music career, he also acted in television series produced by TVB, having major roles in TV series Burning Flame, Never Dance Alone and Finding Her Voice.

Young and frivolous Tay met his ex-wife Winsome in 1985 and soon fell in love. They soon got married in 1990 in Thailand and had a son and a daughter. The family of four immigrated to Canada in 1995.

But Winsome, who stayed in Canada to look after the family, soon discovered Joe Tay cheating on her three times while working in Hong Kong. Brokenhearted, she eventually filed for divorce, according to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily’s earlier reports.

Some Hong Kong newspapers said the string of affairs of Joe Tay involved his co-actors and fans, citing entertainment sources.

The divorce happened at a time when Joe Tay’s career was at its peak. He became famous for his role in the TV series “Burning Flame”. Tay had to stop his work in Hong Kong and flew back to Canada hoping to save the marriage. But Winsome insisted on divorcing him.

In a previous interview, Tay admitted to his affairs and said the six months after his divorce was “the worst time” of his life, and he had to seek help from a marriage counselor.

Tay returned to Hong Kong in 2013 in search of a new career. He met Angie, who is 19 years younger than him at a church in 2015. They got married in 2016.

As reported on Oriental Daily, he confirmed that he tied the knot for the second time with Angie, whom he dated for less than six months.

The actor revealed that he first met Angie when she invited him to give a talk at a church back in June 2016. The two of them started dating and Joe proposed in November.

“She gives me a sense of security. We also share the same values and religious beliefs,” said Joe, when asked why he decided to settle down as quickly as possible with Angie.

Joe Tay, a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, has been living in Canada since 2020. His involvement in the anti-extradition protests in 2019, particularly during the Yuen Long rally, marked a significant turning point in his career. Following these events, he was not renewed by TVB, the local television network, and subsequently moved to Canada, where he founded the online media platform HongKonger Station.

At 62 years old, Tay is accused of “inciting secession” and “colluding with foreign or external forces to endanger national security.” Allegations suggest that between July 2020 and June 2024, he operated the HongKonger Station channel on social media, disseminating various videos aimed at promoting secessionist ideas and calling for foreign sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials.