{
  "id": 6539619,
  "title": "Actor Kiki Darling leaves Ah Boys To Firefighters after past sexual assault conviction surfaces online",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/actor-kiki-darling-leaves-ah-boys-to-firefighters-after-past-sexual",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-10T04:27:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNA - Singapore",
    "slug": "cna-singapore",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/kiki-darling-case-ah-boys-firefighters-sexual-assault-conviction-6374431"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Actor Kiki Darling, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, has resigned from his role in the upcoming film \"Ah Boys to Firefighters\" after his previous conviction for sexual assault surfaced online. The production team stated they were unaware of the conviction and had verified the news on September 8.\n\nAccording to Mothership, Kiki Darling was convicted in 2021 of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old male friend after a night of drinking. The assault occurred in a friend's apartment, with the victim being almost unconscious at the time.\n\nThe production team has decided to recast Kiki Darling's role and remove his scenes from the film. The team said they were surprised by the news of his conviction and that none of the cast members had declared any prior convictions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Actor Kiki Darling leaves Ah Boys To Firefighters after past sexual assault conviction surfaces online",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/actor-kiki-darling-leaves-ah-boys-to-firefighters-after-past-sexual-6541213",
        "published": "2026-09-10T04:27:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "#SHOWBIZ: Jack Neo drops Kiki Darling from new film over past sexual assault conviction",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/showbiz-jack-neo-drops-kiki-darling-from-new-film-over-past-sexual",
        "published": "2026-09-10T07:00:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Mothership",
        "title": "Kiki Darling addresses past sexual assault conviction after Jack Neo drops him from 'Ah Boys to Firefighters' movie",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/kiki-darling-addresses-past-sexual-assault-conviction-after-jack-neo",
        "published": "2026-09-10T18:32:24.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}