The group BTS and their fandom, ARMY, have become the target of intense criticism following a recent incident involving fan behavior during a live stream hosted by the brand Somethinc.
The initial criticism of the fandom’s “toxic” actions quickly escalated into a wider online debate attacking the group’s past actions and perceived personality.
The Somethinc Live Stream Incident
The controversy began when a brand called Somethinc hosted a live stream. Fans reportedly directed a large amount of hate and bullying towards the host of the live stream.
The Host’s Distress: According to circulating social media posts, the host was visibly distressed and was “literally shaking on live,” pleading with the commenters and stating,
“If my management finds out, I could lose my job.”
- The Cause: The hate was reportedly linked to something the brand had done in the past, though the host of the live stream was not personally responsible.
- Initial Criticism: The initial backlash was directed at the toxic members of the fandom for “bullying the wrong person” and for demonstrating a sense of “fake moral superiority.” Many critics called for BIGHIT MUSIC to educate the fandom.
Also Read: CORTIS Sparks Mixed Reactions After Mentioning BTS During Recent Performance
Criticism Escalates to the BTS Members
The criticism quickly broadened, with many netizens linking the toxic fan behavior directly to the alleged past conduct of the BTS members, arguing that the members have historically “tolerated” or “encouraged” such behavior.
The main points of criticism raised by netizens included:
- Enabling Toxic Fandom Behavior (The James Corden Incident): Critics resurrected a past controversial interaction between BTS and late-night host James Corden as “proof” that the members tolerate cruelty.
- Corden had previously made a joke about ARMYs being “15-year-old girls” who don’t care about politics, which led to a minority of fans sending him death threats.
When BTS appeared on his show, they confronted Corden. As Corden nervously revealed he had received death threats, RM (the group’s leader) cut in to say,
“We appreciate your apology,” and “We accept your apology.”
- The Criticism: Netizens claim this response was “super weird and inappropriate,” arguing that RM’s response insinuated the fans were right to be angry and failed to condemn the death threats, thus “tolerating their fans’ cruel behavior live on TV” and empowering the toxic segment of the fandom.
Past Cultural Appropriation and Slurs: Other comments brought up past, unspecific allegations against BTS regarding the use of the N-word on multiple occasions and mocking other people’s culture in the past.
Critics argued that since the group has never officially addressed these alleged past issues, they are unlikely to address the current issue with their fanbase.
Hypocrisy Regarding Anti-Bullying: One user specifically pointed out the perceived hypocrisy, stating that the group “has an anti-bullying campaign but their fans become an icon of bullying.”
