Comedian Jimmy Carr has sparked a furious backlash after he offended fans with an “absolutely disgusting” joke about K-pop act BTS.
Carr made the remark on Australian TV show 20 to One, which counts down top 20s in pop culture, as he discussed the South Korean boy band with other stars including Perez Hilton on a segment about global crazes.
Carr said: “When I heard something Korean had exploded in American I got worried so I guess it could have been worse. But not much worse.”
The hashtags #channel9apologize and #channel9racist started trending as fans of the band demanded an apology from Carr and broadcaster Channel 9.
The official BTS Australia Twitter account accused the show of “racism” and claimed the group were prejudiced against, with some guests referring to the members and fans as gay while another joked the group’s United Nations speech was about hair products.
“This is unfair and presenting inaccurate information,” they wrote in a statement. “You disregarded their achievements, and instead let your xenophobic, racist mindsets be biased instead. We want an apology.”
Others called for action to be taken against all the stars who discussed the South Korean pop group including actor Rob Mills and comedian Mel Buttle.
“@jimmycarr I suggest you post a public apology for what you said about BTS on @20toOne absolutely disgusting,” tweeted one.
Another wrote: “#channel9apologize. Take an action @20toOne to those people who spoke about BTS within the ‘interview’: Erin Molan, Dave Thornton, Rob Mills, Mel Buttle, Jimmy Carr, Perez Hilton. WE NEED APOLOGY.”
A third posted: “Apologise to BTS, you’re a disgrace to the UK.”
The channel later issued an apology, stating that the intention was to “humorously highlight” the group’s popularity.
“As a light-hearted entertainment program, it is our belief that last night’s episode of ‘20 to One’ … did not breach any broadcast regulations, and was intended to humorously highlight the popularity of the group,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
“We apologise to any who may have been offended by last night’s episode.
Made up of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, BTS, the group were the second best-selling artists worldwide in 2018 and recently played two sold out shows at Wembley Stadium.
Standard Online has contacted Carr for comment.
