NCT’s Jeno Accidentally Mentions Taeil, Marking First Public Acknowledgment Since His Expulsion
NCT's Jeno unintentionally mentions Taeil, quickly correcting himself and revealing the tension surrounding the scandal.
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NCT's Jeno unintentionally mentions Taeil, quickly correcting himself and revealing the tension surrounding the scandal.
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In August 2024, SM Entertainment announced that Taeil would no longer be a member of NCT due to an unspecified sex crime. As the investigation progressed, more details surfaced, revealing the nature of the crime and the duration of the ongoing probe. By October, SM Entertainment officially terminated Taeil’s contract, prompting scrutiny from former fans who questioned the company’s handling of the situation.
Since his departure, SM Entertainment has erased traces of Taeil from official content, and no NCT members had publicly acknowledged him until Jeno’s recent comment.
During a discussion about It’s Awkward But It’s Ok (AWSAZ), a program that pairs NCT members who aren’t particularly close to interact, Jeno addressed a fan comment about taking an AWSAZ photo with Jisung. The topic led him to reflect on his own appearance on the show in 2020, where he was paired with Taeil.
While recalling the experience, Jeno abruptly stopped mid-sentence, visibly realizing the implications of mentioning Taeil’s name. He quickly covered his mouth before carefully rephrasing his statement, “Taeil and I— oops. The member whom I took the AWSAZ picture with… I don’t know if I could say that we became closer friends just because we posed for that picture together. Let’s move on!”
Jeno’s reaction was met with mixed responses from fans. Some sympathized with the difficult position the members have been placed in, while others speculated about the internal handling of Taeil’s departure within the group. Many noted Jeno’s discomfort, interpreting it as an indication of how strictly SM Entertainment may have instructed members to avoid discussing the controversy.
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