American news anchor James Eppler has drawn criticism after making a joke about the K-pop group BTS. His comments were deemed inappropriate and racist. Oreo recently announced a special collaboration with BTS.
Not only is it purple, but the biscuit cream also features a signature South Korean flavor: hotteok, a popular palm sugar pancake popular as a street food. The Oreo and BTS collaboration immediately became news on US television programs.
However, a news anchor on FOX34, a local FOX affiliate, made a controversial statement during a breaking news segment. After explaining the shape and colors of the Oreo x BTS product, James Eppler touched on the lettering design on the cookie layer.
He said the 13 letters combined spell out "Death to America," a political slogan widely used in Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq to express anti-American sentiment. The accusatory statement infuriated ARMY (BTS's fanbase).
The text on the Oreo x BTS products actually contained sweet messages for fans, such as "The Biggest Love, BTS ARMY," "Our Universe, BTS ARMY," "Our Happiness, BTS ARMY," "Our Biggest Voice, BTS ARMY," and "Dear BTS ARMY."
After the broadcast aired on Wednesday (May 27, 2026), ARMY immediately flooded news anchor James Eppler's Instagram account, @jameseppler. Many demanded that he personally apologize to the BTS members.
ARMYs are also calling for James Eppler to be dismissed from his position as a journalism professor at Texas Tech University. Following the controversy surrounding his "joke" about BTS during a live broadcast, James Eppler has made his Instagram account private.
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