In the world of K-pop, it’s not uncommon for idols to share the same stage names, which can sometimes lead to confusion. That’s why fans usually specify which idol they’re referring to by including the group name. Another easy way to tell is by looking at fans’ profile photos to see which fandom they belong to.
Unfortunately, BuzzFeed didn’t quite do their homework this time. As many have already seen, EXO member Kai (카이, real name Kim Jongin) recently read out tweets from fans in the latest episode of Thirst Tweets. While the video was very entertaining, fans noticed that some of the tweets were actually meant for another idol who happens to share the same name.
As seen in the screenshots above, EXO’s Kai read out a few thirst tweets, but some of them stood out for all the wrong reasons, leaving both the idol and fans rather confused. It turns out those tweets were actually meant for Hueningkai (휴닝카이), the maknae of Tomorrow X Together, who also goes by Kai at times. This was immediately clear to MOAs (TXT fans), as one of the tweets referenced the release of “Love Language”, which featured choreography where the members showed off their abs.
If the tweets themselves weren’t obvious enough, the profile photos of those accounts should have been the biggest giveaway, as they featured pictures of Hueningkai, clearly indicating which fandom the users belong to. These moments in the video quickly went viral, with fans calling out BuzzFeed for not doing their research properly. Others accused the publication of being lazy and failing to double-check that the tweets were actually directed at, or referring to, the guest on the show.
A few fans expressed how sorry they felt for Kai, who ended up reading posts that weren’t even meant for him. The Thirst Tweets series has always been entertaining, but from this latest episode, it’s clear that BuzzFeed should have dug a little deeper when featuring a K-pop idol. What do you think — was it an honest mistake, or just laziness for not doing proper research?
