22nd December 2025 – (Hong Kong) Jet Li, the 62-year-old action star, confirmed in August via Douyin that he had been admitted to hospital, sharing a frail photograph of himself in a hospital bed and describing the experience as “another test of life’s impermanence”. He did not disclose his exact diagnosis, but stressed it was not a serious illness and that he was undergoing short-term treatment.

He later quickly reassured fans by announcing his discharge, posting on social media to thank supporters for their concern. “Once again, thank you all for your thoughts and blessings, and for worrying about me,” he wrote. “I’m ‘out of the factory’ now, going to eat something tasty – knife-cut noodles still smell the best. It’s lunchtime, everyone should eat well. I wish you all health, peace and happiness.” Reports have suggested that Li had undergone surgery in hospital to remove a benign tumour in his neck.

In recent days, however, renewed controversy has emerged online over the conduct of his wife, former actress Nina Li Chi, during his hospitalisation. A social media post alleged that “while Jet Li was in hospital, Nina Li Chi visited for only 15 minutes a day, leaving the nursing staff to provide all his care.” Some internet users argued that if Li had been in an intensive care or high-dependency unit, visiting times might naturally have been restricted.

Other purported insiders, though, countered that Li had been staying in a standard private room where family members were free to visit at any time. This version of events fuelled widespread speculation about the couple’s relationship, and the hashtag roughly translated as “Jet Li hospitalised, Nina Li visits only 15 minutes a day” briefly trended on Weibo.

Many commenters questioned whether Nina’s level of support matched the devotion Li has publicly shown her over the years, with the contrast prompting rumours of marital strain and suggestions their relationship may be “showing red lights”.