Some jokes just don't land. That's the lesson that a news anchor in Lubbock, Texas, learned when he made an unusual joke about Oreo cookies themed around the K-pop boy band BTS.
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Was the Joke About BTS?
FOX 34 anchor James Eppler was chatting about the cookies with his co-anchors on Tuesday, May 26. The joke wasn't about BTS itself. Rather, it was about the design of the themed Oreos.
"The cream is supposed to taste like the South Korean treat hotteok, which is a brown sugar-stuffed pancake that some of the band members say they ate as kids," said Eppler.
Another anchor replied, "That sounds good."
Eppler then shifted the segment in an unexpected direction.
"That does sound good, right?" Eppler continued. "The cookies' wafer is the BTS signature color purple. Wafers are also engraved with one of 13 designs, which spell out a message to fans when put together that is 'Death to America,' which I think is really strange."
Eppler then laughed to himself, while his co-anchors looked at him in shock.
He added, "No, it's not."
Another co-anchor responded, "Somebody could just be tuning in."
Then the Backlash Began
As the New York Post reports, Oreo described the collab with the band as "deeply meaningful." Each of the members of BTS placed "a piece of their Korean heritage inside an iconic cookie they've always loved."
While Eppler continued with the segment, viewers and BTS fans responded. Some called the anchor's remark inappropriate and requested his dismissal.
"You need to train your news anchor better after you [have] fired this one, this was supposed to be a wholesome collaboration between Oreos and BTS," one fan wrote.
"There is no room for ignorance, xenophobia, prejudice, racism or anything in between in journalism. If James Eppler cannot report news without being unprofessional, he doesn't need a platform," another added.
Another wrote, "If you knew BTS they are the most humble respectful men you will ever know."
