IU, one of K-pop’s most beloved stars, has been pulled into an explosive podcast controversy. In the latest Above The Influence episode, a guest named Kira claimed that certain K-pop stars have pricy “arrangements” with wealthy men. She then brought up IU’s name, saying that spending one night with the singer could allegedly cost $500,000.
Kira, who claimed to be BIGBANG T.O.P’s ex-girlfriend, offered no evidence for her speculations. She didn’t accuse IU of participating in these alleged deals directly, but casually using IU’s name as a “pricing example” instantly lit a firestorm online. Fans slammed the podcast for giving such wild comments, especially since IU has maintained a scandal-free image for over a decade.
y’all on this podcast better get sued by IU and Jennie’s company pic.twitter.com/TNV98UYkk5
— #14 🩵 (@kimchaena14) May 27, 2025
Her fans, known as Uaenas, weren’t having it! They flooded social media demanding EDAM Entertainment take legal action to protect IU’s name. Many pointed out how damaging even speculative gossip can be when it targets real people, especially in the conservative world of K-pop. Some even called for broader regulations around podcast content that uses names of real people without evidence.
These people are playing the victim on their ig stories and saying kpop fans are overly sensitive, yet they’re the ones who made serious accusations against Jennie and IU, calling them whores and making up stories pulled straight out of their asses. STOP ACTING LIKE A VICTIM. pic.twitter.com/kHHQIg3vht
— . (@jenniebaras) May 27, 2025
Though IU and her agency haven’t commented yet, fans believe the podcasters should face a consequence. Whether legal action follows or not, this backlash has sparked a deeper conversation: Is this really what online content creators have to use to gain audiences?
