Because k-pop is going global, even celebrities from the West have hopped on the bandwagon of K-pop stanning. Though K-pop has been around for many years, the west has slowly been accepting and embracing the genre and sub-culture.
You think celebs don’t have fangirl tendencies? Think again! Just because they’re busy people doesn’t mean they don’t know what’s going on in the foreign music hemisphere.
Here are celebrities you probably didn’t know were K-pop fans:
7. Liza Soberano
Years before she rose to stardom, Liza told a fan on Twitter that she liked Girls’ Generation and Super Junior—two of the OG K-pop groups. It’s unclear how hardcore she fangirled over K-pop groups back then, but now she’s clearly warming up to BTS.
Now, she constantly likes BLACKPINK members’ posts on Instagram and even tweeted about her favorite BTS songs. We don’t know who she fully stans yet, but she’s certainly tagged as a K-pop fan now.
6. Pia Wurtzbach
Even during her pre-Miss Universe days, Pia loved talking about Super Junior’s Siwon on social media. The gal doesn’t hide her love for him at all. You’ll see her in his Instagram comments or liking his pics. We won’t doubt if she slid through his DMs at least once, and we don’t exactly blame her.
A lot of people ship them together even though she’s now with equally handsome beau Marlon Stockinger, which is understandable—even though she’s off the market, doesn’t mean she’s forgotten Siwon.
They follow each other on Instagram now and have actually finally met. Fangirl goals, no?
5. John Cena
This is probably such a random celebrity but it’s true—the former WWE star is a fan of BTS’ J-Hope. One day he just posted a funny meme of J-Hope and ARMYs went wild. After seeing the feedback, John Cena began posting funny photos of the member more frequently.
He even asked the group if they needed a new bodyguard and have expressed on several interviews how much of a fanboy he is. This video of him talking in broken Korean proves just how dedicated he is to be noticed by BTS.
They can see you, John Cena.
4. Emma Stone
Yep, the critically-acclaimed actress has said on TV before that she is a fan of the now-defunct group 2NE1. She claims she’s obsessed with Korean pop music and acknowledges that it’s indeed become a global phenomenon.
According to her, she discovered 2NE1 during the premiere of Spiderman in Seoul. There’s also a special mention of Girls’ Generation in her interview and says her favorite 2NE1 song is “I am the Best”. Great taste, Emma!
3. Kris Aquino
We got another famous ARMY in the house! Our very own Queen of All Media is a self-confessed fan of BTS and shows just how much she loves them through tweets and her Youtube vlogs.
She says her favorite member is RM, and raved about how smart he is—she even knows the backstory of how the member learned English. So the next time BTS comes to the Philippines for a concert, be on the lookout for Kris Aquino (and probably Bimby too) among the crowd.
2. Chloe Grace Moretz
Chloe doesn’t hold back when it comes to expressing her love for her faves. In an interview held during a visit to Korea, the young star confessed that she loves girl group MAMAMOO and SHINee member Taemin.
She even got to hang out with Taemin and got an autographed album from MAMAMOO. We don’t know who’s the luckier party, but Chloe sure fangirled hard on Twitter after the fact. Totally understandable though. She also tweeted about BIG BANG, CL, and said American artists need to take notes from K-pop idols.
1. Lorde
Once again, CL and 2NE1 has gotten the attention of another famous artist. Lorde saw CL’s 2015 Mnet Music Awards performance and was so blown away she had to tweet about it.
She then followed it up with another tweet saying that CL is a cool and tough star and even wished to collaborate with her someday.
BONUS: Matthew McConaughey
Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey was spotted at a BTS concert months ago during the group’s LOVE YOURSELF Tour and witnesses couldn’t believe their eyes. We wouldn’t believe it at first either. Apparently, the actor accompanied his kids who are fans of the group—but still!
The fact that he made time to go to the concert is commendable. As a busy actor, going out of his way to watch a K-pop concert with his family tells a lot about his character. Alright, alright, alright!
