aespa’s Giselle Explains Her Expressions At The 2025 MMA After She Was Accused Of Disrespecting Jennie
Giselle, a member of the group aespa, has personally addressed the controversy regarding her attitude during the Melon Music Awards (MMA).
Recently, a scene from the MMA held on the 20th of December began circulating on online communities, showing Giselle with a relatively indifferent reaction—such as crossing her legs or resting her chin on her hand—during Jennie of BLACKPINK‘s performance. In response, some netizens expressed disappointment, commenting that her reaction seemed lacking for a senior artist’s stage and differed from her response to other performers.
As the controversy continued, Giselle explained the situation during a social media live broadcast on the 21st. She asked, “Did you enjoy watching the MMA yesterday? It was a bit disappointing,” and added, “My seat was in the far back corner, so I couldn’t see the stage, the monitor, or the electronic display very well.” Her point was that it was difficult to show a natural response because she could not properly see the performance.
Reactions to Giselle’s explanation have been mixed. Some fans sympathized, saying, “I understand now that I’ve heard the situation” and “She couldn’t have enjoyed it if she couldn’t see it.” On the other hand, other netizens remain skeptical, questioning, “If she couldn’t see the stage, why did she react when her own group’s videos appeared?” and suggesting that her explanation “seems to dodge the core issue.”
Meanwhile, on that day, Jennie received a great response for her artistic performance that naturally incorporated Korean elements. The performance videos for ‘Seoul City’, ‘ZEN’, and ‘like JENNIE’ surpassed 9.8 million views just three years after being released.
Source: (A)
