BTS made their first U.S. late night appearance since 2021 on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon this week, making for an incredibly important moment in what has already been a historic comeback.
Fresh off the release of ARIRANG, the group sat down with Fallon to talk about returning from mandatory military service, making the album, and living together for the first time in years.
The group also performed “SWIM” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for the talk show before their sit down segment. During the performance, BTS members began at different spots across the iconic venue before coming together on a central stage. This visually captivating moment immediately set the K-pop side of social media alight.
What happened during the chat session
During their sit-down with Fallon, the members of BTS each took the time to express their feelings to each other to hilarious effect. Jin took the opportunity to call out Jungkook for being the messiest member of the house – apparently never fully unpacking – while the rest of the group weighed in on what they had missed most about each other during their time apart.
Jimin said he missed Suga’s “one percent battery life,” a dig at his bandmate’s notoriously low energy. Jungkook, meanwhile, said what he missed most wasn’t even a person – it was Jimin’s gochujang stew, prompting Jimin to promise to cook for him.
The moment that broke the ARMYs
If there was one moment from the Fallon appearance that overshadowed everything else, it was V’s mishap. During a segment where members shared what they had missed most about each other, V said he missed “Jungkook teasing me” – but the crowd, Fallon, and seemingly the entire internet heard something very different.
The mishear sent the studio into a meltdown, with Fallon himself confirming he had heard “kissing me.” V paused for a beat, then laughed, while Jungkook reacted almost immediately – nudging V and pointing toward the crowd.
RM stepped in to clarify, shouting “teasing, teasing him!” – though by that point, the damage was done. The clip spread across social media within minutes, with Taekook, #VJungkook, and related tags trending heavily.
For those unaware of the nuances of the ARMY fandom, the pairing ‘Taekook’- a play on both V and Jungkook’s names – is one of the most popularly ‘shipped’. That is to say, fans like the idea of Jungkook and V’s pairing and chemistry both in a platonic way or otherwise.
Naturally, the digital world was quick to immortalize this particular segment. For Taekook shippers, it was pure, unadulterated fanservice. For casual fans, it was a sweet and hilarious slip-of-the-tongue that thoroughly entertained them.
The controversy underneath
The appearance was not without friction, however. According to amNewYork, fans at the Guggenheim performance were divided into groups by coloured wristbands, with some selected for an intimate session with BTS involving singing, dancing, and high-fives – while others watched from a screen in a separate room.
The divide did not sit well with many attendees. One fan told amNewYork: “I’m still processing. I’m numb. BTS is about inclusivity, and the show tainted that.”
As per KbizoOm, the appearance also drew criticism online after viewers pointed out moments where audience members appeared to rush toward the group in an attempt to touch them – sparking a wider conversation online about fan behaviour and boundaries at live events.
Apart from this, another problematic moment made it’s rounds online as some media reports mentioned a staff member making a xenophobic comment towards BTS along the lines of, “which one of them is from North Korea?”