Lea Salonga on unfollowing BTS's RM and J-Hope after Chris Brown backlash: 'I was waking up sad'

Broadway star Lea Salonga has opened up about her decision to stop following BTS members RM and J-Hope on social media, clarifying that the move stemmed from personal wellbeing rather than any intent to call them out.

The Tony-winning singer addressed the topic on Threads after a follower asked if her stance had shifted on the ongoing controversy tied to the two idols and American singer Chris Brown.

In her response, Salonga was quick to downplay her own influence, noting that whatever she chooses to do personally won't change much, beyond perhaps stirring some reaction among fellow fans, something she said she was prepared to accept. “Yes I did unfollow, but I did it for my own sake. It’s not meant to be punitive to either of them, at all. But I recognised that I was waking up sad and/or upset, or finding myself way too affected. This was unhealthy so I took a step back, for me," she said.

She then confirmed the unfollow was real, but pushed back on any suggestion that it was meant as a punishment or protest directed at either member.

Salonga went on to explain what actually drove her decision, she had noticed the controversy was taking a toll on her emotionally, leaving her waking up feeling upset or overly consumed by it. Recognising that pattern as unhealthy, she said stepping back felt like the right call for her own peace of mind. "As many fans have rightly pointed out, we are owed nothing really. They are autonomous human beings, but so am I, and whatever decisions I make are mine alone," she added.

The controversy stems from RM and J-Hope's appearance at a Chris Brown concert in Toronto, where the two were seen posing with the singer backstage.

J-Hope further fueled discussion by posting clips from the show, including a moment of the pair singing along to Brown's track "Look at Me Now." The optics didn't sit well with a segment of BTS's fanbase, many of whom cited Brown's troubled legal history , most notably his 2009 assault on Rihanna, as the source of their discomfort.