Singapore’s Gen Z gives TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi ‘zaddy’ status for his savvy handling of US Congress

While TikTok’s chief executive Chew Shou Zi was being grilled for nearly five hours by members of the US Congress in Washington, thousands of miles away in Singapore young social media users were more taken by the 40-year-old’s good looks and mental dexterity than the fierce debate over privacy, allowing the internet’s latest “zaddy” to be born.

Clips of the hearing that were shared, debated and dissected on TikTok revealed that the city state’s Gen Z users were unmoved by concerns over data collection and the app’s alleged ties with China’s Communist Party, which dominated the congressional hearing.

“Move aside people, the real daddy is here. Welcome to Zaddy TikTok,” said one user in an edited TikTok video of Chew.

“Zaddy” is slang for an attractive, charismatic older man. Chew’s validation by Gen Z means he enters the social media pantheon of “zaddy TikTok”, which includes actor Pedro Pascal, who stars in US television series The Last of Us.