"Our global popstars" — Fans amused as BTS makes surprise appearance in Egyptian drama 'Prestige' with j-hope edit

On May 26, 2025, a moment in the Egyptian drama Prestige caught the attention of BTS fans worldwide. As posted by a user on X, @QueenPhoenix875, in episode 1 of the series, a character was shown with his face edited onto BTS' j-hope in a photoshopped group image. The unexpected cameo appeared in a scene featuring a conman who convinced aspiring celebrities that he helped global stars rise to fame.

To sell his story, he edited himself into photos alongside famous people. This included a visibly edited photo with BTS, where his face replaces j-hope's. The scene quickly circulated on social media after the user posted a screenshot.

As the post went viral, fans flocked to social media to talk about the group's global popularity. They pointed out that BTS has been referenced in several regional dramas before.

"They mentioned before on other Egyptian series too, our global popstars🥹," the user who posted the screenshot wrote.

Viewers from across the globe expressed both pride and amusement. They called the moment another example of the band's unmatched global visibility.

"Lmaooooo😭😭😭😭 I feel like there might've been an ARMY intern on their team, this is just sooo good to be a coincidence😭," a fan commented.

"Recently watched a recent malayalm movie (Maranamass) on OTT and found BTS as wallpaper of the protagonist's desktop So surprised to find them in regional cinema," another fan wrote.

"well... there's no kpop in egypt... only bts😚🫶🏻," another fan mentioned.

"I love how Egyptian shows keep adding BTS as easter eggs. I'm trying to remember which show was it where the character was singing and dancing to Fake Love. That was funny. Anyway the show is called 'Prestige' for anyone interested," added another fan.

The inclusion of the K-pop boy band in Prestige, especially in such a humorous context, further fueled the long-running fandom joke that Jimin is secretly Egyptian. This in-joke originated after a fan submitted the singer to an "Arab icons" page. It later clarified he wasn't Egyptian, leading to widespread amusement.

"And he is next to the Egyptian-Korean of the group too," a fan joked.

"Im glad jimins people are finally recognizing him🥰🥰," another fan added.

"they would have done jimin if they actually cared about the culture," another fan joked.

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More about the show and BTS' ongoing journey toward reunion

Prestige, directed by Amr Salama, is a crime-suspense drama that mixes humor with mystery. It is produced by The Planet Studios and stars Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, Moustafa Ghareeb, and other major Egyptian talents. Written by Injy Abou El Seoud, the story unfolds in a Cairo café during a storm, where a group of strangers is suddenly caught in a murder mystery following a power outage.

As Prestige garners attention for its quirky storytelling, BTS' fans are counting down the days until all seven members reunite. With Jin and j-hope already discharged from military service, and the remaining five, RM, Jimin, V, SUGA, and Jungkook, are expected to complete theirs by June 2025.

HYBE has confirmed that discussions are ongoing and that they're not rushing the group's return. CEO Lee Jae-sang stated that the comeback would be aligned with the group's creative direction and global stature. While fans might not get new group content immediately, solo activities remain strong.

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Jin soon begins his first solo tour while j-hope is wrapping up his. Suga, RM, V, Jimin, and Jungkook have all also released solo projects. Each dominated charts and broke records globally.