One of America's top talk shows, the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (hereinafter the Jimmy Fallon show), is facing backlash for an inappropriate joke aimed at global supergroup BTS. After intense protests from fans, the show and its host eventually apologized.
According to a TMZ report on the 25th (local time), Seth Herzog, the show's warm-up host on the Jimmy Fallon show, drew strong anger from fans after making a "North Korea–related joke" seemingly aimed at BTS during a recent recording.
The incident began during a segment interacting with the audience. While asking audience members where they were from ahead of BTS's appearance, Herzog joked, "Anyone from up north (North Korea)? No one? Nobody?" The audience on site reacted immediately with a chilly response, and global fans who had gathered to see BTS labeled it a clear act of racism and rude language.
After the broadcast, online communities including social media were boiling with anger from BTS's fandom, ARMY. Fans protested fiercely, calling it "an ignorant joke that denigrates Korea's history" and demanding that the Jimmy Fallon show issue an official apology. As the controversy grew, Herzog and the show moved quickly to contain the situation.
According to local sources, Herzog directly apologized to BTS over the incident. Network executives also summoned Herzog, sternly warned him about the incident and promised measures to prevent recurrence.
But fans still seemed unappeased. One fan raised their voice, saying, "It is deplorable that BTS, despite achieving global success, is still the target of such outdated jokes."
Meanwhile, BTS is scheduled to appear on the Jimmy Fallon show over two days, on the 25th and 26th, to give interviews and deliver dazzling performances. <
[Photo] Provided by BigHit Music.
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