Seth Herzog, the warm-up act on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” faced the wrath of BTS’ fandom after he allegedly made a North Korea joke during Wednesday’s taping of the late night show.
Earlier on Wednesday, as the Jimmy Fallon-led program promoted BTS’ slated two-night appearance on X, fans flooded the post with accusations against Herzog, claiming the comedian made an insensitive and inaccurate joke about one member’s nationality during the recent taping.
“@Thezog made a seriously unfunny joke insinuating that one of the members was North Korean,” one fan wrote on X. “Please address this before the show goes live tonight. Fans cannot enjoy the appearance on tonight’s show knowing that someone who thinks this is okay is interacting with the group.”
Another commented, “Hi, Fallon Team. It is really disappointing & hurtful to learn about what ARMYs had to experience, along with having to face discrimination and hear racism addressed to our loved artist. Kindly look into this matter, acknowledge what happened, and take the necessary steps to not repeat it again.”
Happy #BTSonFallon Day to all who celebrate
Tune in tonight and tomorrow at 11:35/10:35c on @nbc to see @bts_bighit! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/xwqz1J97h6
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) March 25, 2026
In the wake of the growing online controversy, TMZ reported Wednesday that Herzog apologized to the band, made up of members RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jung Kook, V and Jimin, after he quipped, “Anybody here from the North? No? Nobody?,” ahead of the taping.
Per the outlet, Herzog was trying to do a variation of the “Tell me where you’re from” bit often done on late night, but the tweaked joke did not go over well BTS fans in the audience, who felt it was a purposeful dig.
Representatives for “The Tonight Show” did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
BTS’ upcoming “Tonight Show” appearance comes as the beloved group officially returns after a nearly four-year hiatus, where the band members focused on their solo projects and their mandatory service in the South Korean military.
Netflix streamed the group’s comeback concert live from Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to nearly 200 countries on March 21, marking BTS’ first performance together since 2022.
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