Kevin Tsai

Kevin Tsai was born on March 1, 1962, in Taipei, Taiwan. He hails from a prominent family with roots in Shanghai, and his father, Tsai Tien-duo, was a Fudan-educated lawyer. Tsai attended Taipei Private Tsai Hsing School from preschool through high school, where he demonstrated early signs of intellectual curiosity, serving as president of the student union and editor-in-chief of the school magazine. He later pursued higher education at Tunghai University, initially majoring in social work before switching to English. His academic journey continued at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Theater, Film, and Television. During this time, he collaborated with Taiwanese writer Pai Hsien-yung to adapt a short story into a film script, which became “The Last Aristocrats” (1989).

Upon returning to Taiwan in 1990, Tsai began his career as a columnist and film critic for the China Times, and also wrote film scripts. A significant turning point in his career occurred in 1996 when he became the creative director of Voice of Taipei radio station, the first editor-in-chief of GQ Taiwan, and started hosting his first TV show, “Fanshu Chudian Wang.” This period marked the beginning of his extensive involvement in television, hosting critically acclaimed shows like “Zhenqing Zhishu” and “Two Generation Company.” From 2004 to 2016, he co-hosted the talk show “Kangsi Coming” with Dee Hsu, which achieved widespread popularity across the Chinese-speaking world. His work on “Kangsi Coming” notably earned him the Best Host in a Variety Show Award at the 40th Golden Bell Awards.

Since the 2010s, Tsai expanded his activities into mainland China, co-hosting the iQIYI debate show “I Can I BB” (2014–2021). Following the conclusion of “Kangsi Coming” in 2016, he wrote and directed his first feature film, “Didi’s Dream” (2017), starring Dee Hsu. Although this film received mixed reviews, Tsai continued his creative collaborations, reuniting with Hsu for “Zhenxiang ba! Huahua Wanwu” on Youku. In addition to his on-screen work, Tsai is a best-selling author, known for his self-help book “Ways of Speaking” (2010) and its sequel (2014), along with several other titles. In 2009, he co-founded HT Entertainment, a management company, which was later disbanded in 2023. In 2002, Tsai publicly came out as gay, becoming one of the first openly gay celebrities in the Chinese-speaking world.