Jackie Chan's 2 Children: All About Jaycee and Etta

Mar. 15, 2025

Jackie Chan and his son Jaycee Chan attend a press conference announcing a concert at the Bird’s Nest Stadium on April 1, 2009.Photo:Cao Ji/Visual China Group /Getty

Cao Ji/Visual China Group /Getty

Jackie Chanmay be one of the most recognizable action stars in the world, but the father of two is notoriously private about his family life.

He and his wife, Joan Lin, have been married for over 40 years and have one child together, son Jaycee Chan. Jackie also has an estranged daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, whom he shares with former beauty queen Elaine Ng Yi-Lei.

Jackie and Joan got married in 1982 and welcomed their only child, son Jaycee, that same year. Seventeen years later, the legendary stuntman made headlines when reports of his affair with Elaine surfaced. The pageant winner gave birth to their daughter, Etta, in 1999.

The Karate Kidstar has rarely spoken about the affair, although he admitted to a number of wrongdoings, includingcheating on his wife, in his memoirNever Grow Up.

Jackie went on to share that he spent a lot of time working when Jaycee was growing up. “I didn’t see much of my family at all. If you asked me now if I regret this, I’d say yes.”

Here’s everything to know about Jackie Chan’s children, Jaycee and Etta.

Jaycee Chan, 42

Jaycee Chan attends the opening ceremony of the late director Li Xing’s memorial film festival.VCG/VCG/Getty

VCG/VCG/Getty

Jackie and his wife Joan welcomed their son, Jaycee, on Dec. 3, 1982. “I didn’t much care what he looked like. I wanted to make sure he was healthy,” he wrote inNever Grow Up.

Growing up, Jaycee spent most of his time with his mom due to Jackie’s busy work schedule. “When he was a kid, he could only see me around 2 a.m.,” the actor told theLos Angeles Timesin 2015. After high school, Jaycee attended the College of William and Mary for two semesters before moving to Hong Kong to pursue his own career as a singer and actor.

In a 2009 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Jaycee spoke about wanting to break out of his father’s shadow. “I’m lucky to have a dad who’s really famous, but (people) don’t really know me for who I am … they just know me as Jackie Chan’s son,” he said. “The hardest part for me is to let people know what I’m really capable of doing on my own.”

To distinguish himself, Jaycee toldThe New York Timesthat he avoided doing action movies, instead focusing on roles in smaller films and on his music career.

Actor Jackie Chan and his son Jaycee Chan attend “Double Trouble” premiere at Jackie Chan Yaolai International Cinema on June 5, 2012 in Beijing, China.Visual China Group via Getty

Visual China Group via Getty

“When I first heard the news, I was absolutely enraged. As a public figure, I feel very ashamed; as his dad, I’m very sad and disappointed,” he wrote before going on to address his son directly. “You’ve done something wrong and you have to be responsible for the consequences. I’m your dad and I’ll always be with you. We will face the road ahead of us together.”

Jackie continued, “I should also take some of this responsibility because as his dad, I didn’t teach him well."

Later, Jackie told theAssociated Pressthat his son’s time in prison helped Jaycee to mature and even improved their father-son relationship. He also revealed that he was inspired to be a better father after working withJaden SmithonThe Karate Kid(2010).

Etta Ng Chok Lam, 25

Andi Autumn and Etta Ng.Andi Autumn/Instagram

Jackie’s daughter, Etta, was born to Elaine on Nov. 19, 1999. Although he has remained quiet about his estranged daughter, Jackie acknowledged his affair in his memoir, calling it a “serious mistake.”

The actor detailed how his wife forgave him but made no other mention of Etta or Elaine. His daughter, for her part, has previously said that the two don’t have a relationship. “He is not my dad. I have no feelings for him. He is my biological father but he is not in my life,” she toldExpressin 2015.

Etta also made headlines in 2018 when she claimed thatshe and her partner, Andi Autumn, were homeless. In a since-deleted YouTube video, Etta said, “We’ve been homeless for a month due to homophobic parents. We pretty much slept under a bridge, and other things.”

In November of 2018,Etta and Autumn got married. The couple announced the news in since-deleted Instagram posts. “A home is with the family that you can choose and with that we are never alone,” Etta wrote. “Love is undoutbly [sic] stronger than blood.”

source: people.com