The K-Pop fandom is full of fans who enjoy lying for fun or promoting their favorite idols. Usually, these stay inside the bounds of the fandom, but other times, they go so far as to reach the general public or the idols themselves.
Here are five of those amazing instances!
1. Hanteo Pooper
The 31st Hanteo Music Awards was a sh*t show — from fans fighting so badly that idols had to get involved to some allegedly having sex in the crowd. Rumors at the show alleged that it was a literal one as well, saying a fan pooped in the audiences and that idols reacted to it.
hanteo awards was a fucking disaster I’m cryinggdhdhsj pic.twitter.com/rFuA1TMsgu
— #1 swan song listener (@yunjiniac) February 18, 2024
A fan even came forward to claim they were the pooper, going wildly viral in the process…but later retracted the statement, making it impossible to get the true scoop on the poop.
2. Chinese Billionaires
To promote WJSN, a fan shared a photo of Meng Mei Qi and Wu Xuan Yi, claiming they were a pair of rich Chinese lesbian billionaires who had fallen in love. The lie spread so far that even Western celebrities like Debbie Ryan believed the lie!
3. Beyonce’s Son
NCT‘s Yuta is known to lie for fun, and NCTzens are exactly the same. This lie about Haechan being Beyoncé‘s son went further than the bounds of the fandom, resulting in a French radio station repeating the lie on air.
so yeah French radio hosts named Haechan as one of Beyonce’s children this morning pic.twitter.com/MSnjyyB5BE
— koko (@sabo__tv) November 7, 2018
4. Keanu Reeves’ Nephew
In 2019, GOT7‘s Jay B attended an event held by YSL in Los Angeles and, while there, was photographed with the beloved actor Keanu Reeves.
Jay B (left) and Keanu Reeves (right).
Fans began joking that Jay B was Keanu’s nephew, a lie that spread quickly, likely due in part to the general knowledge that Keanu is of mixed descent. Most only know he is Asian and not that he is specifically Chinese, however.
The lies spread so much that they were mistakenly linked in a few news articles, and Jay B noticed a joke tweet made by a fan.
5. EXO Kai Is Half Somalian
EXO‘s Kai is a gorgeous idol known for his outstanding visuals, including his tanned skin.
EXO’s Kai | SM Entertainment
Because of this, his ethnicity has been questioned a few times, both seriously and as a joke. POC fans of K-Pop like to jokingly claim idols by saying they are half-x like TWICE‘s Jihyo being called “Latina.”
2 WEEKS SINCE I SAW LATINA JIHYO PERFORMING CLOSER LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME
— caprisun (@seulzyo) February 17, 2024
Somalian fans have claimed Kai, leading them to trick an account that posted those of Somalian descent into sharing a photo of Kai. The tweet has since been deleted but its impact was felt, leading to some people truly believing the idol is Somalian.
this has been on my mind a lot lately pic.twitter.com/G4kJl5C7Nl
— Versace Hottie (@evilrashida) January 2, 2019
What are some of your favorite K-Pop fan lies?