James Corden under fire after referring to the BTS fanbase as ‘15-year-old girls’

Fans appear to have significantly decreased ‘The Late Late Show’s’ online rating following his remarks

James Corden is facing backlash from BTS fans after the talk show host referred to the K-Pop band’s fanbase as “15-year-old girls”.

On Monday night’s episode (20 September) of The Late Late Show with James Corden, the comedian made a series of jokes about the band’s recent appearance at the United Nations General Assembly.

The UN general debate opened with a pre-recorded performance from the band who then delivered a speech in which they encouraged the use of sustainable development.

Corden said that BTS were “pretty unusual visitors” for the UN and also referred to the band’s fanbase as “15-year-old girls”.

“Historic moment. It actually marks the first time that 15-year-old girls everywhere found themselves wishing that they were Secretary General António Guterres,” said the British comedian.

Following the episode, BTS fans took to social media to criticise the talk show host for his comments.

“James corden really just came and called us all 15 year old girls unprovoked,” wrote one user.

Another added: “As a teenage girl myself I just want to take a moment to say leave us alone. Stop using my gender and age as a way of mocking other people and what they do.”

Others added that Corden is now in their “black book” following his remarks, and accused the actor of using BTS and their fanbase for “clout”.

One user pointed out that in the wake of Corden’s comments, the Google ratings for his talk show had dropped from 4.2 to 2.6, suggesting that the BTS fandom were responsible for the decrease.

The Twitter page for The Late Late Show has since taken down a video featuring Corden’s comments. The clip, however, has been archived by BTS fans on social media.

A livestream of the group’s recent performance on the UN’s YouTube channel has received more than 12 million views.

It is not the first time that the band – who have been made Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture by South Korea’s president Moon Jae-In – have appeared at the United Nations.

In 2018, BTS visited the UN to help UNICEF promote Generation Unlimited, a campaign dedicated to educating young people.