'You guys are great!' Rob Mills says his words were 'taken out of context' during Nine's 20 to One segment that saw him mock Korean boy band BTS
Rob Mills appeared on Channel Nine's 20 to One segment on Wednesday, that saw Channel Nine come under fire for its depiction of Korean boy band BTS.
The 36-year-old former Australian Idol star said on camera that the group's singing abilities were 'passable'.
However the theatre performer took to Instagram Stories on Thursday to say that his words were 'taken out of context'.
'You guys are great!' Rob Mills, 36, took to Instagram Stories on Thursday to say that his words were 'taken out of context' during Nine's 20 to One segment that mocked Korean boy band BTS
Dressed in winter attire, Rob told his fans: 'So I've had a chance to look up BTS. I feel like my words may have been taken out of context. You guys are great.'
During 20 to One on Wednesday, a clip saw Rob criticise the group for their singing.
'I have no idea what they're singing about. But these guys are great. The chore (ography) is great, the singing passable,' he said on camera.
Ouch! During the segment, a clip saw Rob criticise the group: 'I have no idea what they're singing about. But these guys are great. The chore (ography) is great, the singing passable'
Outrage: As of Thursday night, the hashtag #Channel9Racist, topped Twitter's trending topics in Korea with 17,400 tweets
'You should be ashamed': K-pop fans in Korea labelled Channel Nine 'racist' over the 20 to One segment that 'humorously' mocked boy band BTS (pictured)
The entire segment was slammed online by K-pop fans who labelled Channel Nine 'racist' and demanded an apology.
As of Thursday night, the hashtag #Channel9Racist, topped Twitter's trending topics in Korea with 17,400 tweets.
'You have failed pathetically. You should be ashamed,' tweeted one fan.
Disgust: Furious K-pop fans took to the social media platform to share their disgust, with one writing: 'We need a sincere apology'
Another stated: 'If your idea of humour is demeaning an artist's career and ideology by making them look shallow and superficial, while making disgusting and inappropriate racist comments - then you have failed pathetically. You should be ashamed'
Not to be taken lightly: 'We want a real apology,' was also posted. 'Dismissing racism like it's a f**king joke??? Like it's something to be joked about'
'We want a real apology,' was also posted. 'Dismissing racism like it's a f**king joke??? Like it's something to be joked about.'
The 'racist' tweets were in reference to Channel Nine defending the segment, in a statement issued to SBS PopAsia on Thursday.
'As a light-hearted entertainment program, it is our belief that last night's episode of 20 to One, which highlighted the Greatest Global Crazes, did not breach any broadcast regulations, and was intended to humorously highlight the popularity of the group.
Backlash: Co-host Erin Molan (pictured with Nick Cody) was slammed on social media for presenting a 'disgusting' segment on 20 to One that mocked the Korean boy band
'We apologise to any who may have been offended by last night's episode.'
The 20 to One segment began with host Erin Molan introducing them as 'the biggest band you've never heard of' before an awkward reference to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was made.
They then showed several celebrity guests making snarky comments about the band, including Rob.
'When I first heard something Korean had exploded in America, I got worried,' comedian Jimmy Carr said.
'When I first heard something Korean had exploded in America, I got worried': The segment included several celebrities mocking BTS. Pictured: Jimmy Carr
'So I guess, it could've been worse - but not much worse,' he added as a clip of the group performing was shown.
Erin then expressed surprise at the group's chart-topping success in America, because 'only one band member actually speaks English'.
Comedian Mel Buttle later suggested that BTS should fire four of their seven members, because she felt that there were too many of them.
Erin and co-host Nick Cody took things even further by mocking the group's work with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
While playing a clip of BTS discussing their philanthropic work in a speech to the UN last year, the pair remarked that they must have been speaking about 'hair products'.
Low blow: Erin and co-host Nick Cody went as far as to make fun of BTS' philanthropic work with the United Nations, joking that the boys must have been discussing 'hair products' while addressing the UN last year
BTS partnered with UNICEF in 2017 to launch a two-year campaign to stop violence against children. So far, the campaign has raised almost AUD$3 million.
The hashtag '#channel9apologize' first topped Twitter's trending topics in both Australia and Korea.
'Literally every sentence said in this video is problematic and is filled with racial undertones and xenophobia,' tweeted one fan.
'Dear 20 to One, you should definitely reflect and apologise for this disgusting, misinformed report about BTS,' they added.
'Apologise to BTS, you coward,' another tweeted, this time directly to Erin herself.
