Kim Chiu (born Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu; Chinese: 張金珠) is a Filipino actress of mixed Filipino and Chinese ancestry.
Chiu rose to prominence after her high-profile reality show victory in 2006 (Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition). The youngest winner in the show's entire history, the then-16-year-old Chiu went on to become a "love team" with Gerald Anderson. The onscreen couple Kimerald was a local pop culture phenomenon, until it fizzled out amid rumors of a real-life split. (Chiu and Anderson would later confirm that they did indeed date, and their separation as a love team was truly influenced by their real-life breakup at the time.)
Despite Kimerald's abrupt end, Chiu's career continued to flourish. She has received numerous accolades in her now-prolific acting career (including prestigious ones like the PMPC Award for Best Drama Actress on her performance in Ikaw Lamang; four FAMAS Award nominations and one win; and was hailed 'Princess of Philippine Movies and TV' thrice at the GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards for her accomplishments in the film and television industry). However, Chiu's political opinions — which have attracted the ire of both pro-Rodrigo Duterte and anti-Duterte camps in spite of her generally Duterte-friendly stance — have generated much controversy for the actress. Yet in typical ABS-CBN fashion, Chiu remains on Filipinos' screens, making use of all this publicity.
Associated tropes
- Cunning Linguist: She is fluent in Cebuano (naturally, being Bisaya), Tagalog, and English. She is also conversational in Waray, Hokkien, and Mandarin.
- Idol Singer: "Crazy Love" and "Mr. Right" were both hits. Even after "Bawal Lumabas: The Classroom Song" tanked, these songs remain well-liked by the public.
- No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: "Bawal lumabas" ("It's forbidden to go out") has become her Catchphrase since she infamously compared the COVID-19 lockdown to classroom rules. Chiu has released a song based on the ensuing meme to unanimously poor receptionnote , and starred in a lockdown-centric digital series titled Bawal Lumabas, to considerably better reception.
- Reality Show: She is one of the most successful Pinoy Big Brother alumni, if not the most.
