TWICE’s Tzuyu’s Mother Addresses Dating Rumors, Says the Pair Are Longtime Friends

Huang Yen-ling asked people to stop drawing conclusions from photographs and give her daughter and those around her more privacy.

Tzuyu’s mother has responded to dating speculation surrounding the TWICE member, saying the man pictured with her is a longtime friend whom she also knows well. In a social media statement shared on October 27, Huang Yen-ling pushed back against interpretations of the photographs and asked people not to criticize anyone on the basis of unverified rumors.

The statement followed the circulation of pictures of Tzuyu with a male acquaintance, which prompted speculation on Taiwanese online communities. Rather than announcing a relationship, Huang described an established friendship and argued that ordinary interactions between friends had been given more significance than the available information supported.

“They Have Always Been Good Friends”

Explaining why she had decided to speak, Huang said she had known the man for years and wanted to clarify the nature of his relationship with her daughter. She described him as kind and sincere, adding that he had consistently supported and helped Tzuyu throughout their friendship.

Her account focused on the familiarity between them, presenting their time together as part of an existing friendship rather than evidence of a newly revealed romance. The clarification also extended beyond her daughter, with Huang asking people to avoid directing criticism toward the friend involved in the speculation.

“They have always been good friends,” she said in the statement, according to the Korean report. Her response directly challenged the assumptions surrounding the photographs while keeping the acquaintance’s personal details out of the explanation.

A Request to Stop Reading Romance Into Everyday Moments

Huang went on to address the kinds of interactions that had drawn attention, explaining that friends naturally eat together, go out, talk and look after one another. A few photographs or an incomplete account, she argued, should not become a basis for excessive interpretation.

That distinction was central to her message: being photographed together does not, by itself, establish that two people are dating. Rather than responding to individual theories, she asked people to reconsider the assumptions being made from limited information and to stop attacking those involved over claims that had not been verified.

She concluded by requesting greater respect and personal space for Tzuyu and her friends, encouraging people to focus instead on the singer’s music and work. She also thanked readers for their understanding and expressed hope that the unnecessary speculation would end.

Bringing the Focus Back to Tzuyu’s Music

Tzuyu debuted with TWICE in 2015 and expanded her individual recording career with the release of her first solo mini-album, abouTZU, in 2024. The project reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200, adding a solo chart achievement to her years of activities with the group.

Her mother’s statement explicitly asked that attention return to that professional work, making the clarification both a response to the current rumor and a request for boundaries around ordinary friendships. The account she offered was straightforward: the two have known each other for years, and their interactions should be understood in that context.

The statement does not establish Tzuyu’s broader relationship status, nor does it need to do so to address the specific claim. It identifies the person at the center of these photographs as a friend and asks that speculation about that friendship stop.

Editor’s Note: JYP Entertainment’s official discography confirms that Tzuyu released abouTZU on September 6, 2024, with “Run Away” as its lead single. She also wrote the lyrics to the album’s closing track, “Fly,” providing a songwriting credit alongside her solo performances.