On September 25, 2025, South Korean girl group aespa performed at The Jennifer Hudson Show stage. Fans instantly caught the contrast in their live vocals and cleaner choreography. Clips went viral as viewers applauded the girls’ effort, signaling a clear shift from the backlash they faced on Good Morning America earlier this month.Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning performed their new single Rich Man and chatted about the track with Hudson. The track centers on self-confidence and celebrating oneself. Giselle told Jennifer Hudson,“‘Rich Man’ actually has a quote from Cher herself, which says, ‘My mom said to me, “Marry a rich man,” and I said, “I am a rich man.”’ Yeah, the song was inspired by her quote.”Fans shared clips and reactions online, recognizing the group’s vocals and stage presence. However, some netizens have slammed the performance, with one X user saying, "Its called camera work and backup dancers lmao."Many are attributing much of its impact to the backup dancers rather than the group itself.. @classyenderLINKnever beating the "need back up dancers and camera work" allegations 😭. @14fryunaLINKthey really need to depend on backup dancers 😂😂Jojoon @Jojoon4883681LINKI’m glad they used dancers. Because they still would have looked wack without themDespite the backlash, others noted that the girls' recent performance showed improvement compared to previous stages. Some pointed out that the group addressed earlier criticism through a more refined delivery.manuel is waiting for MHDHH and Ready to Jump🏎️🏁 @waitingformhdhhLINKthe difference between aespa and that group is that they’d show you why they’re indeed a world class group unlike the others that makes documentaries to get pity points from fans lmao 😂😭Rockstarina @linglinggg906LINKthe thing with aespa is they don’t complain online when people criticize them; they just get better and prove others wrong, every single time.ayAa 🐦‍🔥 @scawaachu_LINKy'all would NEVER catch aespa making a documentary crying, begging for sympathy for being horriable at singing and posting a middle finger on their ig stories. stay mad LMAOaespa’s GMA performance previously sparked mixed reactions onlineaespa at Good Morning America (Image via X/@aespa_official/)aespa grabbed attention with their latest track, Rich Man, during a performance on Good Morning America on September 12. However, viewers' reactions were split. While some fans felt proud seeing a K-pop girl group on a major U.S. stage, others felt that the performance was "discordinated."Kiwi 🥝 • Twice Ot9 stan @MarrymeJisooKimLINKSo discordinaded, without backup dancers you can see the real choreography, what a mess. SM, what is this choreography?Criticism focused on several points. Netizens pointed out the live vocals, the group’s stage presence, and the lack of backup dancers. The girl group has made two appearances on Good Morning America prior to the most recent one. Their first was in July 2022, when they performed Girls and Life’s Too Short as part of the show’s Summer Concert Series.They returned in September 2023 with a performance of Better Things and participated in a short interview segment. On the other hand, Rich Man released on September 5 with an EP of the same name. It follows their previous EP Whiplash, which dropped last October. Next, aespa is set to embark on a large-scale arena tour across Asia, beginning in Fukuoka from October 4 to 5. The tour will then continue in Tokyo from October 11 to 12, followed by Aichi on October 18 to 19. They will return to Tokyo for additional shows on November 8 and 9, before heading to Bangkok from November 15 to 16. It will conclude in Osaka from November 26 to 27.