How Carrie Wong survived a 2019 scandal to be youngest All-Time Favourite Artiste recipient
Benson Ang
The Straits Times
April 8, 2026
Singaporean actress Carrie Wong is on track to accomplish something no other local artiste has at her age.
The 32-year-old Mediacorp star won her 10th Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes trophy at the Star Awards in 2025, and is set to be the youngest recipient of the All-Time Favourite Artiste accolade at the 2026 ceremony on April 19 held at The Theatre at Mediacorp.
It is bestowed on artistes who have won 10 cumulative Top 10 awards in either the male or female artiste category, after which they will not be eligible for subsequent Top 10 nominations.
The category is determined by the results of a popularity survey (20 per cent) conducted by an accredited market research company, as well as public voting (80 per cent), which is free.
Currently, the youngest recipient is actress Joanne Peh, who received the honour in 2017, two weeks before her 34th birthday. The oldest recipient is Zheng Geping, who received his prize in 2022, a month before turning 58.
Wong is also the 10th artiste to enjoy an unbroken streak of Top 10 awards, from 2015 to 2025. Only nine others – Zoe Tay, Xiang Yun, Chew Chor Meng, Li Nanxing, Fann Wong, Xie Shaoguang, Rui En, Elvin Ng and Rebecca Lim – have achieved this feat.
In an interview with The Straits Times on April 1, Wong said she felt “absolutely honoured” to be grouped with predecessors whose shows she was a fan of when she was young.
“It is quite unbelievable for me to be on the same list as them,” she said, adding that when it comes to the red carpet outfit for her big night, it will be “something that people would never think I would wear”.
On her rapid and consistent popularity since she entered show business in 2013 after being discovered via the reality talent show Hey Gorgeous, the former model said: “I was very lucky to be cast as the tragic Sweet Soup Lass in the period drama The Journey: Tumultuous Times (2014 to 2015). It was a very well-liked character people still remember me for.”
Acting in two long-running dramas 118 (2014 to 2015) and 118 II (2016 to 2017) also helped her win fans early in her career.
Yet another source of strength in her corner is her local fan club Carrieteristic, formed in 2014. It has almost 10,000 followers on Instagram and helps to galvanise support for Wong whenever the annual Star Awards rolls around. It also organises events such as fan meets, charity outings and birthday celebrations for her. The club is managed by a committee of five devoted fans in their 20s.
Wong said: “They are a bunch of very enthusiastic, energetic girls who have walked with me through thick and thin. Every Star Awards, they queue overnight (at the event venue) just to get good photos of me walking the red carpet. Without them, I do not think I would have got an award every single year.”
“I have seen many of them grow up,” she continued. “One member recently showed me her first photo with me. She was in her secondary school uniform, and now she is a university graduate with a long-term boyfriend.”
Her fans were among those who stood by her in 2019 when explicit messages between her and disgraced former actor Ian Fang – who is serving a 40-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of sexually penetrating a 15-year-old girl – were leaked online. Both were romantically linked to other people then, and she faced potential “cancellation”.
Wong recalled: “That was the lowest point of my entire career. Honestly, I cannot really remember how I got through it. I just lived day by day. Thankfully, I had family, friends, colleagues and fans who supported me. It was because of them that I managed to get through everything.”
Reflecting on the controversy, she said: “I learnt you should not run from your mistakes. Just acknowledge them, move forward and try to be a better person.”
She admitted she was concerned the scandal might cost her a Top 10 award, but the 2020 Star Awards was postponed due to the pandemic. When the ceremony returned in 2021, Wong was the ninth actress to be called.
She said: “As the names were read out, I thought about what to tell the reporters (backstage) if I did not get the award. A lot of things ran through my mind and I was preparing for the worst. I kept telling myself to keep calm, take deep breaths and keep smiling.
“At that time, it helped that I could keep a straight face under any situation. I am like a duck in a pond. I can look so calm even when I am paddling like crazy underneath or struggling inside.”
Over more than a decade in Singapore’s entertainment industry, she has learnt to differentiate between constructive and non-constructive criticism online. For example, she once encountered a comment saying that in the drama A Quest To Heal (2020), she delivered her lines too quickly.
“That was a valid criticism,” Wong said. “As actresses, we know the script very well and can say the lines much faster than viewers can catch them. The feedback reminded me to speak more slowly in future productions.”
But there are also trolls who just want to attack others, she said. “As a public figure, I have to take such comments in my stride, while not letting them get to me. After all, you cannot stop people from talking about you.”
While she has aced the popularity contest, Wong has never clinched an acting award. She has come close, though, having been nominated for Best Supporting Actress twice (The Journey: Tumultuous Times and 118) and Best Actress three times (My Friends From Afar, 2017 to 2018; Vic, 2018; and A Quest To Heal).
She said: “Of course I would love the recognition. In my earlier years, I did feel disappointed at not winning. But I acknowledge there are many other actresses who have done super well, and they deserve to win.
“At this stage of my life, I do not think winning is the most important thing. What is more important is to be better than before. And I am certainly a better actress now, compared with when I first started acting.”
She most recently starred in the 2025 Channel 8 drama Fixing Fate, which is available on mewatch, and made her movie debut in local feature-length drama Ah Girl (2026), where she portrayed the title character’s chain-smoking, vulgarity-spewing mother.
It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands in early 2026 and won the Youth Jury Award.
Wong, a non-smoker, said: “It was a challenge filming the smoking scenes and making them look convincing. But I took on the role because I wanted to try something new. I liked that my character was fairly complex, very insecure and constantly needed attention from men.”
Moving forward, she hopes to continue tackling roles that push her boundaries, or play darker characters such as villains or a serial killer.
She said: “I cannot always play the sweet girl-next-door or someone kind and righteous. There are so many different personalities in this world, and exploring them is the fun part.”
In her personal life, Wong, who is single, does not see herself as someone who needs to get married.
However, she added: “I would love to have love, of course. So if one day I meet someone and we share the same values, wish to settle down and have a family, that would be good.”
Her preference is someone older and more mature, who can educate and take care of her. He does not have to be taller than her – she is 1.75m – but she believes a man should lead. A deal-breaker would be someone narcissistic or who asks her to pay on dates.
From previous relationships, she has learnt the importance of communication.
She said: “I used to be someone who bottled up my feelings and expected my partner or friends to know I am hurt or not feeling good. Now I am a lot more communicative. I know if I don’t speak up, others won’t know, and they won’t be able to do anything.”
- Star Awards 2026 will be shown on April 19 on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel from 7 to 10pm. A Walk Of Fame pre-show will air on these platforms from 5 to 6.30pm. In addition, a Backstage Live behind-the-scenes live stream will take place from 3.30 to 10pm, and will be available on mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel.
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