He is the son of Hong Kong-born Chinese actor and martial artist Jackie Chan and Taiwanese actress Joan Lin.
In 2014, Chan was arrested and jailed for the possession and distribution of marijuana, and for accommodating drug users at his apartment in Beijing.
In 2007, he co-starred alongside Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in Benny Chan's action film Invisible Target.
[18] While Ko was set to be released 14 days after his arrest, Chan faced criminal charges and sentences up to the death penalty or life imprisonment for allegedly hosting others to consume marijuana.
[21] On September 17, 2014, Beijing Dongcheng procurator's office approved the formal arrest of Chan on suspicion of "accommodating drug users".
[22] Chan spent his 32nd birthday in custody with his mother stating that her son has borrowed more than a hundred books to read since he was detained.
[25][26] It was later revealed that during his detention, Chan wrote a three-page remorse letter to his mother in which he promised that he would not repeat his mistakes in the future.
[28][29] One day after his release, Chan held a press conference in Beijing to make a public apology by saying that he had no reason and no excuse for his law breaking and his arrest had a negative impact on society and that it disappointed his supporters while causing losses for those who worked with him.
In his four-minute speech, he promised that he would be a law-abiding citizen, and while he still had plans to continue in the entertainment industry, he would focus on spending Chinese New Year with his parents.
[32] Chan is largely viewed as a spendthrift[33][34][35][36] and "playboy"[37] whose movies and music have not been met with commercial or critical success despite heavy promotion and support.
[39] After Chan's release from prison, he lived with his mother in Taipei, keeping a low profile, and often wearing a mask to avoid being recognised in public.
When the situation worsened in the US, he decided to stay in LA as he felt that there would be a higher probability of him being infected if he were to make the long journey home.
[41] During an awards ceremony in Beijing in April 2011, Jackie stated that he would be donating half his money to charity when he dies, instead of to his son.