Another year, another batch of Singaporean sons.
Host-presenter Allan Wu is among those sending their child off to the military in 2025.
The 52-year-old Chinese-American, who is based in Singapore, posted on Instagram on Jan 7 to announce that his son Jonas, 18, has officially begun national service as a full-time serviceman, part of the mandatory conscription for all young Singaporean males.
The post came with a picture of the father-and-son pair, both sporting shaved heads, the customary haircut for new servicemen.
Wu addressed Jonas in the caption and wrote: “New year, new hair. And a new chapter begins on this day for this young man as he embarks on his National Service to serve his country.
“I cannot be any prouder of the man you’ve become and since I can’t be there with you, I’ll be there in spirit and finally cleaned up my hair in support of you. Now go out there and be all you can be.”
Prior to Jonas’ enlistment, Wu had sported curly, shoulder-length hair.
Wu shares the teen with his Singaporean ex-wife, former actress Wong Li Lin, also 52. The couple divorced in 2013 after nearly 10 years of marriage. They also have a 20-year-old daughter Sage, who is currently studying electrical engineering at Stanford University in California, United States.
Jonas graduated from St. Joseph’s Institution International in November 2024. Wu and Wong made a rare appearance together in a photo with their son at his graduation ceremony. The pair have been co-parenting since their divorce.
Wu recently started a podcast series called Call Us Daddy, which invites male celebrities like actor Christopher Lee and former radio deejay Daniel Ong as guests to speak about their life experiences.
Wong - who previously starred in Mediacorp series like Triple Nine (1995 to 1999) and the romance movie The Leap Years (2008) - is now leading the team at Mint Media Sports, a company owned by Singapore billionaire businessman Peter Lim which acquired Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo’s image rights in 2015. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
