Just one moment of attending an Usher concert featuring Chris Brown has made RM and j-hope the center of criticism for the past week. While many people who are directly collaborating with or have long-standing relationships with Chris Brown, such as Usher himself and Bad Bunny, have not faced the same level of backlash, RM and j-hope have been dragged into a series of serious accusations over nothing more than a photo together, including accusations of supporting an abuser, indirectly promoting ѕєχual harαѕѕment and domestic νισℓєи¢є, and going against the group’s principles.
What is even more notable is that a group of people believed to be solo stans of other members, or accounts suspected of being anti-fans posing as ARMYs, took advantage of the situation to launch a hate train directly targeting RM and j-hope. Harsh attacks, threats to leave the fandom, and even ideas to create a “black ocean” at a BTS concert emerged, although thankfully, many ARMYs managed to stop them.
Other hostile forces also quickly seized the opportunity with a smear campaign using the hashtag “#btsdisband”, apparently hoping to bring down BTS and ARMY. Notably, The Pixel Project recently made a significant move by announcing the indefinite suspension of RM from its list of male role models. However, the fact that some other artists who have had connections with Chris Brown have not faced similar action has also raised questions about the decision.
The situation has now turned into complete chaos, with different waves of attacks and various motives aimed at damaging the reputations of RM, j-hope, and BTS, or taking advantage of their mαѕѕive influence to attract attention. Yet, what ARMYs have been most worried about is whether the members would be emotionally affected by everything unfolding around them. Fortunately, RM and j-hope have made new moves that have eased fans’ concerns and have even been seen as a direct response to their haters.
Specifically, on August 20, Toronto time, j-hope υиєχρє¢тє∂ly shared a TikTok video capturing a moment of him and RM enjoying their time on a yacht at sea after arriving in Toronto, ahead of their two concerts on August 22 and 23. As usual, j-hope stood out with his eye-catching fashion, while RM opted for a simple T-shirt. The two appeared completely relaxed and happy, even casually dancing along to Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat.”
“Beauty and a Beat” itself carries a fitting spirit for the moment, with lyrics about letting go of the worries of the world around you and fully living in the present. At the same time, the song conveys the idea that all you need to make life feel complete is beautiful things and upbeat music.
The fact that the BTS members shared this video amid the ongoing controversy led many fans to speculate that it could be seen as a response to the wave of attacks from those who have continued criticizing them. None of the unreasonable accusations or offensive comments seem to be affecting them; they are still enjoying their lives, working, and preparing to give their best to their genuine fans.
One fan even humorously “followed RM’s lead” by rewriting the lyrics of “MIC Drop” in a comment: “Haters gonna hate, players gonna play. All the way from кσяєα and Now they are in Toronto.” Meanwhile, ARMYs felt reαѕѕured that despite the toxic critics targeting them and all the chaos surrounding the controversy, the two members still seemed to be in good spirits and remained optimistic, commenting:
- You where already so adorable! Please keep staying happy and enjoying these precious moments of relaxation!
- Soooo happy to see them like this! This makes all my worries go away. May they continue to enjoy their time in Toronto
- That's all I want: for them to be happy. 'Screw you haters' loud and clear from Joon and Hobi.
- NAMSEOK. LOVE THISSS LOVE THIS SO MUCH, giggling and making video like this hmmmmm love it love it hereee. If you don't like it then CONGRATULATIONS because I don't caree
- Soooooo HAPPY to see Joon & Hobi enjoying their lives !!! Well deserved !!!
- Namseok having fun that’s all that matters, let’s continue to leave them nice comments yall
- My Kings. They literally say we are thriving and loved, eat the sh1t, deranged performative activists
- Namseok can stand behind and just have fun because I am here to protect them
Meanwhile, immediately after the controversy broke out, j-hope and RM had already been quietly handling the situation and expressing their thoughts in their own ways. For instance, just hours after noticing the mixed public reaction, j-hope quickly deleted the video related to the concert. Both RM and j-hope also refrained from posting any further photos or having any additional public interactions with Chris Brown afterward.
At the concert in Arlington following the controversy, j-hope sent his fans a heartfelt message: “I truly love and care about you guys.” Fans understood this as j-hope wanting to express and make it clear to ARMY that he always respects their opinions and thoughts.
RM also communicated with fans through sincere words. By looking back at the milestones of 2015, 2018, and the present day, the leader emphasized that the love and connection between BTS and ARMY are strong enough to withstand any storm. He also brought fans back to the core value of their relationship — where trust and support have been built on years of mutual understanding, rather than being defined by a single moment.
