K-Pop Star Jaejoong Pulled a Distasteful April Fools' Day Prank
Updated April 16 2020, 5:06 p.m. ET
Unfortunately, April Fools' Day is falling during the coronavirus pandemic, and during this sensitive moment in time, the likelihood of people pulling offensive pranks is basically inevitable.
And a singer from the popular K-pop band JYJ named Jaejoong greatly disappointed fans with a somewhat anticipated yet seriously unpleasant joke. What was Jaejoong's April Fools' Day prank? Stay tuned for everything we know regarding his inconsiderate actions.
Jaejoong's April Fools' Day prank was — you guessed it — lying about having the coronavirus.
Obviously, the coronavirus is no laughing matter, so you can probably guess how disappointed fans were when they heard Jaejoong lied about having it. On Wednesday, April 1, the K-pop icon took to Instagram, claiming he had the illness, garnering concern and shock from his devoted fans as well as various media outlets, according to New York Times. South Korea has been a major hotspot for the disease, and this would have been terrible news for the K-pop community.
However, less than an hour after claiming he was in the hospital with a confirmed case of the virus, Jaejoong shamefully admitted that he had lied about the entire thing, in the spirit of April Fools' Day. Although he expected fans to laugh it off, their reactions quickly transformed from concern to rage, resulting in a flood of angry comments. Jaejoong ultimately deleted his Instagram account.
This isn't Jaejoong's first April Fools' Day prank, but it was definitely his worst one yet.
Longtime fans of Jaejoong are well-aware that he's no stranger to April Fools' Day pranks — a few years back, according to Sky News, the 34-year-old lied about making marriage plans, only to let everyone down. He also once pretended to pass out on stage during a concert, which was also merely a prank.
As many people have died from the coronavirus, especially where Jaejoong lives in South Korea, the coronavirus is obviously no laughing matter. Jaejoong is now, unfortunately, one of many famous people to make light of the situation in terrible, careless ways (we're looking at you, Vanessa Hudgens and also Ava Louise).
Although Jaejoong made a poor decision, he's a super supportive friend.
About a month ago, Jaejoong revealed an incredibly supportive side showing love for his longtime BFF, South Korean actor Choi Jin Hyuk. According to Soompi actor had recently appeared in a new drama called Rugal! on OCN, which is an adaptation of a web series with the same name about a detective who looks to take down a terrorist organization. But when he's involved in an accident, he gets artificial eyes, and joins a group of "super humans."
Earlier in March, Jaejoong took to Instagram in support of Choi, posting two pictures of a coffee truck he'd apparently sent to the show's set as a surprise. He captioned the photo, “[The cast and crew] of the OCN drama ‘Rugal’ is working hard and toiling away during these difficult times. Friend, stay strong!”
Jaejoong made a poor choice on April Fools' Day, and there's bound to be more pranks of the like... keep your hands clean, and most importantly, stay informed, y'all.
