The BTS ARMY Called Out "Saturday Night Live" for Misjudging BTS Fans

"the fandom is VERY diverse & known for it too."

April 11, 2019

BTS has already had such a huge week this week thanks to the release of new teasers for their new song featuring Halsey, "Boy With Luv," and their new album, Map of the Soul: Persona, slated for release on Friday. But the BTS good times will continue into the weekend as the group makes their Saturday Night Live debut on the Emma Stone-hosted episode.

Ahead of Saturday's episode, SNL released a promo that featured Emma hanging out with the other women cast members of SNL on the show's set. The gist of the promo is that the women are all huge fans of BTS (in Emma's case, this is actually true) and they are going to have a sleepover on the SNL stage, surrounded by posters of BTS and dressed in BTS pajamas, until the boys arrive.

The promo not only amplifies reductive qualities of young female fandom that have been made fun of for years (for example, the women are all using high-pitched voices and hugging stuffed animals), but the BTS ARMY was quick to point out that the promo doesn't actually accurately characterize the BTS fandom either.

As Refinery29 reported, the ARMY was quick to point out that they don't mind have their fandom being parodied in an SNL promo, but they were also ready to lay down some facts about how inclusive the ARMY truly is.

One of the most-liked responses to SNL's initial promo tweet was a fan kindly setting the record straight while having fun with the joke: "This is really cute! But I really hope people look up BTS beyond just cute teenage girls fangirling over then - their fan demographic is actually quite diverse and represents a wide age spread as well as gender!" Another ARMY responded, "We are so many and diverse! ARMY is the world..."

Many countered the promo's assertion that boys aren't allowed in the BTS fandom. "Boys are absolutely allowed! BTS’ fanbase is actually really diverse across ages, genders, etc. But still loved this! Beck attempting BTS choreography...I would like to see it," one wrote. More fans wrote things like, "We can take a joke, we often clown each other too!... but just to clear any possible misconceptions: the fandom is VERY diverse & known for it too....The fans are of all different ethnicities, skin colors, gender, ages etc. We take pride in that."

Essentially, the BTS ARMY is ready for the inevitable roasts that will occur on Saturday night — but they won't let anyone forget about the power and beauty of the inclusive BTS fandom.