Just days after announcing his official departure from JYP Entertainment, former DAY6 member Jae has been the talk of the town but for a negative reason.
On January 9, Jae posted a statement in English on his Twitter account, tagging Jamie’s account. The said statement is an apology for his sexual harassment and derogatory remarks towards former labelmate during live streaming.
The former band member mentioned Jamie’s name during a live broadcast and made inappropriate remarks about her, saying that he can finally speak what he wants to, now that he is out of Kpop. Then, he continued, “Why is Jamie trying to be a th*t?”
The derogatory term refers to a woman who has a lot of casual sexual encounters or relationships. In his apology, Jae clarified that he thought the word was synonymous with the term “baddie.”
“I wanted to make an apology to Jamie and everyone about what I said. It was most definitely a comment made in poor taste, and I feel terrible for making Jamie feel the way she does. What I thought was friendly banter I now realize wasn't. In no way was I referencing any kind of physical behavior or energy (trying to take a slight at Jamie) but rather the aura of what people refer to as a "baddie" and thought the two were synonymous, however I do understand that this is in no way an excuse for my comment. My sincerest apologies to Jamie as well as to everyone who was hurt by it." - Jae
Fans Enraged Even After Jae’s Apology, Protects Jamie
Even after sending his apologies, fans of DAY6 and Jae seem to be still displeased by the singer's action. It is in no way defendable how he had insulted a woman, let alone a “little sister” whom he has been friends with for such a long time.
Jae defended that he is close with Jamie, and they can go tell her about what he said. However, it did not go the way Jae thought it to be.
Some fans even pointed out that Jae knew better, and he already understands the meaning of the word as he continues to laugh about it in the latter part of the live stream and has used the term in earlier streams.
Towards the video, Jae even acknowledged a comment that he would get into trouble about what he just did. To which he responded, “She’s going to call me and be like, “why did you call me this?’ I can’t believe she’s like a little sister to me. Please, lawyers, don’t call me. I don’t have money. Jamie, I’m poor. Please just let me be.”
Jamie Responds To Jae's Derogatory Remarks
Shortly after the video went viral on the internet, Jamie turned to Twitter with shock. She found out about the comment made by Jae and expressed her utter disappointment and anger.
In her early tweets that have been deleted, Jamie mentioned how she stayed by Jae’s side and cared for him even when he was still under JYP Entertainment.
“Just remember how much I cared about you even before you were in your last company and how many times, if you were alright. I prayed for you, your questions were like mine, it's really sad.”
The only tweets that remain on her profile were her expressing her disgust with the fact that “women have to be subjected to men’s humor to appease incels on the internet period.” Incel is a term that emerged from the internet which refers to a person, usually men, who regard themselves as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active.
Some fans and netizens also defended that no matter how close Jae is with Jamie, he has no right to make fun of her. What’s more offensive is that Jamie was not there during the broadcast. It should be clear that it is not treated as a joke when the topic of your comment is not laughing.
Jae debuted with DAY6 in 2015 after finishing sixth place at the Kpop Star Season 1. He started promoting with the band as the vocalist and electric guitarist.
On December 31, 2021, Jae announced on his Twitter account that he will be taking a hiatus from his promotions with DAY6. However, on the same day, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Jae has ended his exclusive contract with the agency and will be leaving the band due to personal reasons.