Clip of ‘90 Day Fiance’ Korean star fat shaming his girlfriend sparks controversy
A clip from TLC reality show “90 Day Fiance” showing a Korean participant making insensitive comments about weight to his American fiancee during a family meeting has sparked controversy online.
Key points:
- In a Season 10 episode starring couple Seungdo “Nick” Ham, 30, and Devin Hoofman, 23, who met on a dating app, Ham joins Hoofman’s family for a meal.
- When asked about what South Koreans think of Americans, Ham remarked on Koreans’ perceptions of Americans as eating greasy food and being overweight, leading to an awkward exchange.
- “Greasy food and being fat,” was Ham’s honest response while smiling. When Hoofman’s family didn’t seem impressed, he said, “I don’t think that way, but people in Korea think that way. No offense.”
- When the woman’s parents started explaining why it might be true due to food costs, availability and laziness, Ham made a controversial comment about his then-girlfriend, saying, “You’re lazy, so you always get fast food for lunch. No wonder you’re piggy.”
- After seconds of silence and disapproving head shakes from Hoofman’s family, Ham adds, “I’m just saying the truth. You always have fast food for lunch.”
Controversy on X:
- Although the episode was released last year, the clip recently resurfaced on X, with Ham’s controversial comments going viral. Some social media users defended him, citing cultural differences, while others condemned his remarks as disrespectful regardless of culture.
- “I think his comments aren’t supposed to attack them, it’s just cultural conversational differences. In Korea, it’s normal to talk about diet and staying fit but in America it’s more of a sensitive subject. I don’t think the piggy comment was supposed to be so mean, more endearing,” one person wrote.
- “I don’t care where you come from you don’t say sh*t like that to people and making those hateful comments in front of her family was straight up vile,” another said.
- “Bruh I’m Korean and I’m speechless by all the English comments defending him that it’s Korean culture, wtf … it is true that Koreans do casually make comments on looks and are insensitive to it, but you don’t have to embrace even the toxic side of the culture,” a user chimed in.
Ham’s apology:
- At a reunion episode, other “90 Day Fiance” couples confronted Ham about his past behavior and for repeatedly calling Hoofman “piggy.” He has since apologized, acknowledging the potential harm of his words.
- However, concerns continue to rise about the impact on Hoofman since she has subsequently lost weight.
- The couple ended up marrying each other in Arkansas on April 1. Despite the recent backlash, the couple remains together.
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