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On September 14’s broadcast of Sirius XM, host Tony Simon came under fire from netizens for a BTS-related question that he asked SEVENTEEN's Vernon. The question, which was deemed "unnecessary" by fans, earned Simon a flurry of criticism for his poor research.
Right after the host listed multiple Billboard achievements and sales records set by SEVENTEEN, he said:
"Starting the band, there’s no way you expected that 'Okay, we’re gonna be up there just like BTS. We’ll be the same level as BTS.'"
While the question was tricky, fans praised Vernon’s simple, diplomatic reply. Many believed that he responded skillfully, not giving into the layered pressure of talking negatively about BTS (who they are close friends with, too.)
“When we debuted, BTS wasn’t the BTS today, you know. So yeah, it’s really crazy what we’re doing right now, where we’re at right now."
Despite Vernon's tactical statement, his response sparked a fanwar between the SEVENTEEN and BTS fandoms who both rose to defend their respective groups. Read on to know more about the arguments that erupted in the wake of the broadcast.
SEVENTEEN's Vernon skillful reply to a question involving BTS leads to a heated fanwar
Three SEVENTEEN members were featured in the September 14 broadcast of the radio show. Since it was an English show, Korean-American member Vernon took the lead, with DK and Seungkwan occasionally answering some questions too.
SEVENTEEN's fandom, CARAT, expressed their opinion that host Tony Simon's interview was not informative and lacked research. They mentioned that it was apparent that the host did not know much about the Attacca group, who have been active for seven years.
They also believed that it was disrespectful to bring up any other group or try to pit them against each other as every group had their own journey.
The conversation regarding SEVENTEEN and BTS has gained heat on Twitter, leading to a fanwar. Some believed that Vernon’s answer was disrespectful to the Fake Love singers.
Their perception was that the 2 Minus 1 singer compared the two groups and meant that at the time of SEVENTEEN's debut, BTS was not as successful as it is today. In response, many ARMYs posted tweets that highlighted how the k-pop group was already breaking records by 2015, the year that SEVENTEEN debuted.
CARATs were quick to defend the idol and his reply. They mentioned that there was no comparison made.
Moreover, they also emphasized that the Butter singers were not as big as they are today. They added that the SEVENTEEN member's reply was about the group’s successful trajectory, as was the case with them.
Despite the contrasting take, the consensus remained that Simon’s question was problematic and disrespectful.
In other news, Vernon was the latest guest on DIVE Studios’ Mindset, which was received warmly by fans.
Given that K-pop groups are often compared to BTS on Western shows, fans believe that such comparisons not only disregard the hardships and struggles faced by each group, but also pit them against each other and result in heated fanwars.
