GOT7's BamBam responds to the criticism for his mention of NewJeans' Haerin

During the February episode of Bam's House, the talk show hosted by GOT7's BamBam, the idol got tangled up in a controversy when he mentioned NewJeans' Haerin to be his ideal type. He also explained how he was a fan of the rookie K-pop idol. However, given that Haerin is still a minor, fans found his remarks to be quite problematic.

As the situation gained heat, BamBam's agency, ABYSS, released an official statement addressing the issue and rejecting any sort of negative intentions that the idol had with his mention of NewJeans' Haerin. The statement added that any further spread of rumors with malicious intentions against GOT7's BamBam will lead to legal action from the company.

While the situation settled after the same, BamBam opened up about the issue and clarified his stance directly to fans during his birthday live broadcast on May 2, 2023.

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"I never try to be a bad person": GOT7's BamBam opens up about the hate he received following his comment on NewJeans' Haerin

Towards the end of GOT7's BamBam's birthday on May 2, the idol went live on Weverse to celebrate with fans, as is the norm in the K-pop industry. While the live stream for the most part had the idol thanking his fans for the birthday wishes and cutting his birthday cake, he also addressed the issue that garnered him a lot of criticism.

BamBam began by saying:

"I try to ignore a lot of stuff, but I'm stressed a lot. You guys probably know what happened not too long ago, but they don't say what I mean. The reason I'm saying this is because that I'm scared all that these situations might happen again, so you know, I'll explain everything later."

The idol then addressed the media manipulation that many K-pop artists and celebrities face in the entertainment industry:

"But nowadays people just believe all the internet stuff, I appreciate all the people who're still with me and trust my heart and everything. I never try to be a bad person. I never have bad thoughts or anything. I'm trying to be the best I can be, but when I try my best and this is the result, I'm tired and stressed out and I wanna give up sometimes, not gonna lie. You know, just let me live, let me work, all I need is love. If you're not going to support, just back off and let me do my thing."

The GOT7 member concluded his speech by opening up about the issue regarding Haerin and his reaction to the same:

"You know, this been bothering me every day since like three weeks ago. You all tell me not to care about the haters but people do believe the haters these days so how do I not care. I saw a lot of people saying, "after all that stuff I cannot look at BamBam as the same person anymore". You guys know what kind of a person I am, don't believe a ten second video."

There has been an outpouring of support for BamBam in the wake of his response video.

Viewers of the live stream were quite heartbroken by his open and honest speech about how he feels about others' perceptions currently being altered by the controversy and the tough times haters give him. They were also quite worried about how much the issue must've been bothering him for him to bring it up during his birthday live.