{"id":627,"date":"2026-05-28T06:36:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=627"},"modified":"2026-05-28T06:36:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:36:48","slug":"texas-news-anchor-under-fire-for-bizarre-death-to-america-joke-over-bts-themed-oreos-on-live-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=627","title":{"rendered":"Texas news anchor under fire for bizarre \u2018Death to America’ joke over BTS-themed Oreos on live TV"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A Texas news anchor is under fire for making a bizarre joke in which he claimed that Oreos released in collaboration with South Korean boy band BTS spelled out \u201cDeath to America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Miranda Devine: History shows that Mamdani\u2019s dangerous plan to seize property from landlords only leads to misery and tyranny<\/a><\/p>\n

FOX 34 Lubbock anchor James Eppler and his co-anchors were chatting about the new limited-edition cookie during a lighthearted segment Tuesday when the broadcast suddenly took a strange turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cream is supposed to taste like the South Korean treat hotteok, which is a brown sugar-stuffed pancake that some of the band members say they ate as kids,\u201d Eppler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds good,\u201d one co-anchor replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat does sound good, right?\u201d Eppler continued. \u201cThe cookies\u2019 wafer is the BTS signature color purple. Wafers are also engraved with one of 13 designs, which spell out a message to fans when put together that is \u2018Death to America,\u2019 which I think is really strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

His co-anchors immediately looked stunned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not,\u201d Eppler quickly clarified while laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody could just be tuning in,\u201d one co-anchor responded.<\/p>\n

Eppler then continued with the segment as normal.<\/p>\n

The comment quickly sparked backlash online, with viewers and BTS fans calling the remark inappropriate and completely out of place. <\/p>\n

Oreo described the collaboration as \u201cdeeply meaningful\u201d as the band \u2014 which consists of RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook \u2014 placed \u201ca piece of their Korean heritage inside an iconic cookie\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0always loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eppler, who is also a professor at Texas Tech, appeared to brush off the remark in real time, but many fans demanded an apology and called for his firing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to train your news anchor better after you [have] fired this one, this was supposed to be a wholesome collaboration between Oreos and BTS,\u201d one fan wrote online.<\/p>\n

Read more Missouri concertgoer dies after being kicked in head by crowd surfer at rock festival<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no room for ignorance, xenophobia, prejudice, racism or anything in between in journalism. If James Eppler cannot report news without being unprofessional, he doesn\u2019t need a platform,\u201d another posted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about this is funny,\u201d one user wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you knew BTS they are the most humble respectful men you will ever know,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell did I just hear?\u201d another viewer posted.<\/p>\n

The Post has reached out to Eppler for comment.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The backlash comes during a major week for BTS. <\/p>\n

The K-pop group swept the 2026 American Music Awards on Monday night, winning all three awards they were nominated for, including artist of the year.<\/p>\n

The group also won best male K-pop artist and song of the summer for \u201cSwim,\u201d the lead single from their new album \u201cArirang.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cArmys, we did it once again!\u201d band leader RM said during the group\u2019s artist of the year acceptance speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to have this precious award,\u201d he added. \u201cOur biggest thanks and gratitude, as always, go to Armys all over the world, who stood by us for the past 13 years. Thank you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Former CIA official arrested after feds find $40M worth of gold bars stashed at his home: report<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOX 34 Lubbock news anchor James Eppler faces backlash after falsely claiming BTS-themed Oreos spelled out \u201cDeath to America\u201d during a live TV segment about the K-pop group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\nTexas news anchor under fire for bizarre \u2018Death to America' joke over BTS-themed Oreos on live TV - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=627\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Texas news anchor under fire for bizarre \u2018Death to America' joke over BTS-themed Oreos on live TV - 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