EXO Kai’s Unexpected “Exposed” Phone Screen Sparks Heated Debate
EXO Kai’s latest YouTube video has sparked debate among K-Pop fans after the star revealed his most recently used emojis.
In behind-the-scenes footage from his solo concert tour, KAION, Kai can be seen sending messages to fans on Bubble, with his phone screen momentarily visible to the cameras. A sharp-eyed EXO-L shared a screenshot of the clip on X to show off his keyboard, which displays the emojis he’s used most recently.
Among the emojis, which included the angel and heart eyes icons, were four instances of the “Man Gesturing OK” emoji, all in different skin tone variations. Alongside the default yellow version, Kai had used the light, medium, and dark skin tone options.
While the screenshot initially seemed innocuous, the emojis quickly sparked debate among fans. Many were confused about his decision to use the darker-skinned emojis, with some noting that many non-Black people appropriate the icons as a way to seem trendy or funny.
i have a question https://t.co/GsqMBXNKMc
— doppu 𓅓 (@realdoiezen) October 17, 2025
— chas 🐻 (@bustnut_) October 17, 2025
there’s a subset of korean ppl who loveeee to use black emojis i think it makes them feel cool
— ◌*⃝̥◍ (@soheesoswaggy) October 17, 2025
Despite this, however, other fans have pushed back against the controversy, arguing that it’s been blown out of proportion. In his defense, EXO-Ls noted that Kai used multiple variations of the same emoji, not just darker skin tones.
gosh he almost used every colour i dont see a problem with that https://t.co/ZbC607QsAw
— мелсочка (@B4RBIEJUN) October 17, 2025
He has that same emoji in every skintone. What's the problem? Making a mountain out of nothing. Creating stupid issues out of thin air. Go solve some real world problem instead of questioning because somebody has a emoji and you don't even know what that was used for. https://t.co/AAOncFuehg
— -)() (@gvtigvg) October 18, 2025
this would be weirder if he had only the black option but he has almost every skin tone for whatever reason like did he just misclick three times or what went down https://t.co/Rc8BfDui6W
— hana 🫧 (@crushtruther) October 17, 2025
Several other Korean celebrities have faced scrutiny for using emojis with dark skin tones in the past, including Single’s Inferno star Oh Jin Taek.
“Single’s Inferno” Contestant Oh Jin Taek Faces Criticism Due To His Choice Of Emojis
