STRAY KIDS fans are taking to social media to voice their outrage over the apparent cancellation of Chan’s Room, the weekly live broadcast by group leader Bang Chan. The broadcast has been on hiatus since May 2023. Until recently, fans had assumed Chan’s Room would return once STRAY KIDS completed their 5-Star album promotions.
However, it emerged that during a recent fansign event, a fan asked Bang Chan if he would react to a music video during “his next Chan’s Room” session. Bang Chan replied: “I can’t do Chan’s Room anymore. I want to actually but the company says no.” This was confirmed through a video clip showing the interaction.
Fans immediately took to X (formerly Twitter), directing their anger at STRAY KIDS’ label, JYP Entertainment. They also specifically called out the company’s division that manages the group, known as Div1. Hashtags such as #JYPEPROTECTSKZ, #PROTECTBANGCHAN and #STAYingWithChris began to go viral on X.
Fans were extremely critical over what they perceived as JYP censoring Bang Chan, and taking away his personal ‘space’ that he used to with fans. Many of them had felt comforted by the regular weekly interactions. A quick check on STRAY KIDS’ social media pages show that over the past few weeks, fans had asked Bang Chan when he would resume his broadcasts.
Why Chan’s Room went on hiatus
During a Chan’s Room broadcast on May 14, 2023, Bang Chan had spoken about his experience during a Music Bank show in Paris. He complained that he had been “ignored” by members of a junior idol group at the event after he greeted them. He spoke about feeling the “generation gap”, and wondered if the younger generation was not so concerned with basic manners.
Following the broadcast, fans began speculating over the identity of the idols Bang Chan described. Suspicion fell on the members of a particular girl group, causing them to experience some online hate. Bang Chan then released a video on May 17 apologizing for his comments. He claimed that the girl group had “nothing to do” with the situation, and promised to be more careful of his words in future.
At the time, many fans did not believe that Bang Chan was to blame for the incident. He had kept the group’s identity vague, and had no control over people making assumptions online.
Bang Chan later said that Chan’s Room would be on hiatus while STRAY KIDS began activities to promote 5-Star. Until the recent revelation, fans had assumed it would return eventually.
What’s next for Bang Chan?
At the time of writing, there has been no official word from JYP to confirm the cancellation of Chan’s Room. Bang Chan himself has also not made a official statement, beyond that remark at the fansign.
In the meantime, STRAY KIDS do appear to have a busy schedule ahead of them. The group is set to perform their song S-Class at the MTV VMAs in New Jersey on Sept 12.
We hope that fans will remain calm, and that JYP will eventually clarify the status of Chan’s Room.