Actor James Seah keeps mum on split from Nicole Chang Min, chooses brighter days ahead

SINGAPORE – James Seah is drawing a firm line when it comes to his private life.

At a recent media session for upcoming multi-generational family drama Brighter Days – where he takes on dual roles alongside co-stars Romeo Tan, Felicia Chin and Jeffrey Xu – the Singapore actor remained guarded when asked about persistent rumours surrounding his marriage to local content creator Nicole Chang Min.

Even before the interview began at Old Habits Cafe in SAFRA Mount Faber on Aug 12, Seah’s manager gently reminded the media that personal questions – including ones about his marital status – were off-limits.

Still, when the conversation turned to the intense social media chatter that has followed him in recent months, Seah, 35, acknowledged that he has seen what was being said online.

“Of course I have read them,” he said, before firmly shutting down further discussion. “What I want to say, I have said before. (I’ve made) my statement. I’m not going to comment any further.”

Speculation about their rumoured split surfaced in April after netizens noticed that Seah and Chang, 34, who wed in January 2022, had largely stopped featuring each other on social media.

Chang also did not publicly cheer him on during the 2026 Star Awards as she had done previously. Seah was nominated in three categories: Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, BYD Favourite Male Character Award for fantasy series Perfectly Imperfect (2025) and Best Supporting Actor for drama Another Wok Of Life (2025).

The chatter intensified after photos circulated online showing Seah with another woman at Changi Airport, sparking unverified allegations about their relationship.

On May 1, Seah addressed the rumours in an Instagram Story, calling the allegations and assumptions “baseless, inaccurate and taken out of context”, adding that “as life goes on, people grow in different ways and bring us through different paths”.

He declined to share further details about private matters concerning him and Chang, and asked for their privacy to be respected.

Another question mark surrounds their four-room BTO flat near Boon Keng MRT station, which they had applied for in 2020. Chang uploaded a vlog documenting its renovation in May, clarifying the footage was filmed before the “recent events”.

Asked at the interview whether he is currently living in the unit, Seah declined to reveal more. “I think it’s quite private. So I will refrain from commenting. Thank you,” he said.

He confirmed only that he is not staying with his family, though he would not say where he is residing. He also did not want to comment about the dog he co-owns with Chang.

Instead, Seah repeatedly returned to his loved ones when asked how he coped during the period when speculation about his marriage were rife.

“What’s important to me is that the people around me, my family, my friends... they believe in me and I have their support, and my fans as well,” he said.

Mental health, he added, has become an important priority. The Mediacorp artiste spoke about learning to detach himself from difficult emotions and “unnecessary noise”, particularly after work.

One new outlet that has been bringing Seah some joy is golf, which he picked up about one or two months ago.

He said he enjoys how the sport forces him to focus on himself and his own improvement, rather than competing with others – and joked that it constantly “humbles” him just when he thinks he has perfected his swing.

Seah is also channelling his energy into work, which includes a role in home-grown director Ang Geck Geck’s film Ah Girl, which opens in cinemas at the end of 2026. The film is set in 1990s Singapore, and Seah plays the neglectful father of the titular child.

But first, viewers can catch him in Brighter Days, which premieres on Aug 24 on mewatch and Channel 8 at 9pm.

In the 20-episode series, Seah plays famous 1990s television host Soh Seng and his son Soh Da Ping. After serious allegations engulf his father, a young Da Ping loses faith in people and grows into a troubled man who takes increasingly questionable paths to find love and acknowledgement.

It is perhaps fitting, then, that both Seah and his character are looking for their own “brighter days”.

And as far as he is concerned, that means refusing to dwell on anything that will get him down.

“I would rather post things that spark joy for me, about things that I enjoy, and not focus on the negative stuff.”