James Corden referred to BTS fans as '15-year-old girls' and said it was 'unusual' that the group sang at the UN, but they've been twice before
- BTS spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, marking their third UN appearance.
- James Corden spoke about it on "The Late Late Show," calling the group "unusual visitors" to the UN.
- Fans expressed disappointment in Corden's remarks, particularly given his history with the group.
James Corden was a trending topic on Twitter Wednesday morning after he said the members of the K-pop group BTS were "unusual visitors" to the United Nations General Assembly and characterized the group's fans as "15-year-old girls."
Corden's comments spurred a rift in his relationship with the massive fandom, which has previously supported the late-night host and even referred to him with his own BTS-related nickname.
BTS is one of the world's biggest musical acts, comprised of seven members known by their stage names RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The group made its third appearance at the United Nations on Monday, marking its first since South Korean President Moon Jae-in named the members of the group special presidential envoys.
"The United Nations General Assembly kicked off this morning in New York City, and it started with some pretty unusual visitors: BTS," Corden said in a segment prior to playing a clip from the group's "Permission to Dance" performance at the United Nations.
"It actually marks the first time 15-year-old girls everywhere found themselves wishing that they were Secretary-General António Guterres," he said.
A clip of the segment, per multiple reports on social media, appears to have been uploaded and later deleted from the official "Late Late Show" Twitter account. It remains preserved in re-uploads on social media and official recordings of the episode.
Beginning Tuesday night, fans expressed their disappointment in Corden's characterization of the fandom as "15-year-old girls" and in the way that he spoke about the group's appearance. Viewer ratings for "The Late Late Show" on Google have dipped low as well - currently, the show has a 1.4-star rating out of five on Google's audience rating summary, with recent one-star reviews explicitly calling out Corden's words on BTS.
Corden had previously been celebrated by some BTS fans for his work with the group on "The Late Late Show," most notably the "Carpool Karaoke" segment featuring BTS that has received over 88 million views on YouTube. That segment resulted in fans referring to Corden as "Papa Mochi," a moniker based on a nickname for BTS member Jimin. The official "Late Late Show" Twitter account even has the nickname in its bio.
Now, some fans say they are revoking the "Papa Mochi" nickname.
"I'm so sick of this fake love / I'm so sorry but it's fake love / james corden isn't Papa Mochi anymore," one viral tweet reads, referencing lyrics from BTS' 2018 single "Fake Love."
Building on previous appearances at the United Nations in 2018 and 2020, BTS spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic will shape their generation. They also performed their single "Permission to Dance" in the United Nations General Assembly Hall. An upload of the group's speech on the United Nations YouTube channel has been viewed over 6.5 million times, outstripping view counts of other celebrity appearances from Emma Watson and Leonardo DiCaprio at UN events.
"The Late Late Show" did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.