A new all-boy band launched by British television personality and entrepreneur Simon Cowell has stirred up a hornet’s nest with their remarks on popular K-pop band BTS.
The seven-member band, with representatives from the UK and Ireland, has landed in the crosshairs of K-pop fans after a member of the band called BTS “terrible” on a Netflix show.
In Netflix’s newly released show, The Next Act, Simon Cowell heads out on a journey to find the next One Direction in the global musical scene. The six-episode show ends with Cowell introducing the teen-pop band December 10 and its seven members — Cruz, Danny, Hendrick, John, Josh, Nicolas, and Sean.
However, soon after the show’s premiere, a clip from one of the episodes began circulating online. In the clip, despite the dark visuals, one of the members, named Cruz, is heard saying that his group could do something even bigger that BTS while calling the K-pop group “terrible”.
“If BTS can sell out Wembley Stadium in flipping five minutes, we could sell out flipping Pluto in five minutes… Nah, I’m being serious, they are terrible,” the artist said.
BTS fans, known as the Army, were quick to slam the new band over their remark, with many calling it a ‘trick’ to get attention on social media. Nonetheless, many BTS fans found the statement rude.
“Let's ignore them. Very poor rage bait promo strategy to get their names trending on Twitter,” a BTS fan wrote on X.
Another X user said, “They are doing this for clout. We should stop talking about this, and most importantly, we must not engage with them on any platform. Before this, I had no idea who they were, and this was their very goal.”
“I mean… the ragebait is a bit funny to me because I just know these boys are gonna be cringe. But let’s just ignore them hahaha,” reads another comment.
The members of December 10 were chosen by Simon Cowell from multiple auditions in the UK and Ireland. The Netflix show is based on their journey.
BTS, as a band, last dropped a studio album in 2022. It was titled Proof. Currently, its members — RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, V and Jungkook — are preparing for their 2026 comeback.
