"Literally never okay"— Netizens criticize BTOB's Peniel for his alleged ableist joke at the recent DIVE STUDIOS Get Real podcast episode

On December 9, the episode of DIVE STUDIOS' Get Real podcast, featuring BTOB‘s Peniel, Ladies' Code‘s Ashley Choi, and KARD’s BM, was released. While these three artists are the permanent hosts of the show, 82MAJOR's Yechan also appeared as a guest.

During one moment in the episode, the hosts discussed Yechan's relationship with his elder brother, P1Harmony's Keeho, who's also an active K-pop idol. The BTOB member mentioned that he knew that Yechan and Keeho were in school together for a year due to their three-year age gap. This unexpected revelation surprised Yechan.

In response, the K-pop idol replied that he wasn't a "slow person," and after using this phrase, he made a few sounds and hand gestures.

When this clip surfaced online, several fans and netizens felt that Peniel was allegedly mocking disabled and neurodivergent people. They expressed disappointment with his actions and called him out. One netizen on X commented:

"ableism is literally never okay and that fact that some of you think it is is SO SO sad and disgusting…"

Netizens react to the BTOB member's alleged ableist joke he made during the recent podcast episode of DIVE STUDIOS' Get Real.

"first time in a while seeing a clip from dive studio since the boycott and it’s because peniel being ableist. my my please have some shame and close down already" said a fan on X

"and people wonder why neurodivergent people dislike when neurotypical people talk anything about autism as a atypical person. you guys will NEVER know the experience and struggle of an autistic or neurodivergent person." commented a fan

"i’m trying to understand why peniel thought saying “im not slow” followed by mocking intellectually disabled people by making a noise is “funny” to him?" added a netizen

Many netizens expressed their displeasure with the K-pop idol's alleged ableist joke.

"if you end up in hell the first place you see is dive studios" stated a fan

"y’all better hold ALL of them accountable btw, not just the two in this video!! they ALL laughed at his joke!!" commented an X user

"why are neurodivergent and disabled people always the center of peoples jokes oh lord when will the ableism end" added a netizen

"his is so disappointing because i always liked Peniel and BM, but f*ck them bro, this is just so so disgusting." said another X user

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All you need to know about BTOB's Peniel and his solo activities

Peniel Dong Shin is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter based in South Korea. He debuted under Cube Entertainment in 2012 as a member of the K-pop boy group BTOB. Before joining Cube, he trained under JYP Entertainment and appeared in the 2010 music video for San E's Tasty San.

Following his debut with BTOB, the idol rolled out several hit tracks with his members. Some of the group's famous songs include Pray (I'll Be Your Man), Missing You, Beautiful Pain, Finale (Show and Prove), and more. The rapper also established a solo career for himself. He released his first English mixtape with KAIROS, titled Homesick.

He has also other singles, including B.O.D, Fly23, Flip, Valentine, and more. As another extension to his solo career, Peniel held his first photography exhibition in 2017, titled Penography. He soon followed it up with a second exhibition in 2018 called Second Penography.

In November 2023, the K-pop idol and BTOB as a group departed Cube Entertainment, and the group hasn't been quite active in the industry. Meanwhile, Peniel has engaged in various projects such as his YouTube vlog channel, POV, in 2016, his Skool of K-pop English radio show in 2019, and a variety show called HWAITING! in 2020.

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He also co-hosts the collaborative DIVE STUDIOS podcast Get Real with BM of KARD and Ashley Choi, formerly of Ladies' Code. The podcast began in 2020 and has become a platform for Peniel's continued presence in the industry.