Lea Salonga, the Broadway star best known for providing the singing voices for Disney’s Mulan and Princess Jasmine, has been a devoted BTS fan for many years. The 55-year-old singer previously revealed that she listens to BTS before going on stage because their music helps ease her stress. She has also shared how the group’s music helped her get through mental health struggles during the pandemic.

Her connection with the seven-member group has also been evident over the years through social media. She frequently shares posts praising BTS and expressing how proud she is of the group, as well as photos from BTS documentaries and concerts she attended. More recently, she also attended special concerts that coincided with BTS’s debut anniversary in Busan on June 12 and 13, as well as the group’s concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.

Within the fandom, Lea Salonga is clearly a longtime ARMY with a strong voice and a great deal of respect due to her status in the entertainment industry. However, a recent move by Lea Salonga has left many fans disappointed while sparking a new debate within the ARMY community.

On August 24, 2026, fans noticed that Lea Salonga had reportedly unfollowed RM and j-hope on Instagram. Notably, she still follows the other five BTS members. The move also came amid the controversy surrounding RM and j-hope’s appearance at a concert featuring Usher and Chris Brown earlier this month.

Shortly after the controversy broke out, she had previously written on Instagram, “Disappointed. So disappointed.” Although she did not name anyone specifically, fans who were also expressing disappointment over the situation involving RM and j-hope quickly connected her post to the controversy.

Therefore, her decision to subsequently unfollow the two members led many to believe that it was a personal statement reflecting the singer’s stance, sparking another wave of debate. Some fans immediately voiced their support for Salonga. They argued that she was standing by the principles she had publicly advocated for, particularly regarding women’s rights, child welfare, and LGBTQ+ rights. To these fans, unfollowing the two members was not simply an action on social media but a way for her to express her beliefs and personal boundaries.

However, negative reactions quickly emerged as well. Some ARMYs said they could understand Salonga’s disappointment with RM and j-hope, but unfollowing them and saying that “BTS do owe us a fck ton of accountability” was going too far. Many also questioned the consistency of the singer’s stance. They pointed out that Salonga still follows several celebrities who have had connections with Chris Brown or have shared and promoted his music on social media. The list brought up by fans includes H.E.R., John Bellingham, Sienna Lalau, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and the GRAMMYs. Some also pointed to her past encounters or interactions with other figures whom they believe have been involved in controversial behavior.

One fan reacted: “She demands from BTS the standards she herself doesn't live up to. She is punishing namseok for 1 mistake that she herself does repeatedly, so carelessly that she still didn't realize or reflect on herself even after feeling so mad about it for several days now.”

Another directly responded to Lea Salonga: “If this were truly about consistent principles rather than selective optics, the sudden outrage and unfollows wouldn’t have aligned so perfectly with ARMY calling it out first. Consistency and integrity matter far more than performative Instagram stories.”

The wave of disappointment over Lea Salonga’s latest response to the controversy is now gaining momentum within the ARMY community:

- If you’re gonna unstan namseok you’re just gonna need to unstan bts as a whole. they are literally credited for 99% of the discography. you are not escaping them

- I've followed Lea Salonga on IG prob since 2012-2013, way before I got into BTS. She's posted things I've agreed with and some I've disagreed with but not to the extent of feeling like I needed to unfollow. Knowing she's unfollowed Joon and Hobi over this incident leaves a bad taste in my mouth - this is a group she claims to love and who's lyrics have "saved" her; RPWP being her favorite album by a member too. I am disappointed that someone who, over the years, has been an open-minded, intelligent woman of conviction, a celebrity of color who've been criticized for her actions over many things in her long career, would take such steps of singling out two members.

- Just checked lea salonga's insta. sge rly did unfollow hobi & rm. all because they attended usher & chris brown's concert??? i may also be disappointed by their attendance there, but that's not enough to cancel the both of them. they've done a LOT of good things too

- She is still following other people who have attended Chris Brown concerts. It seems the more she "admires" you the worse she treats you. Another case of hypocrisy and selective morals

- I will say it again. This is ŕäċïṩṃ against bts members. Idc what anyone thinks. Namjoon and Hobi are being treated like criminals while other celebrities are free to do whatever they want

- So she can collaborate with the people who literally worked with CB but she draws a line if someone show up to combined concert with him ? Performative activism need to have a limit

- She just unfollowed Bruno Mars to save her hypocrite a$$. She's lurking in ARMY spaces. Performative af. She's not even relevant anymore in PH. She wants a headline in PH media.

- Lea Salonga suddenly found her “moral high ground” and started demanding “accountability” from BTS the second ARMYs pointed out the double standards. Before that? Silence. After that? Unfollows and a whole reel acting like she’s been fιgнтing for justice this whole time