Popular Mukbang YouTuber With 2.6M+ Subscribers Exposes “PRODUCE 101” Contestant-Turned-Idol As Her School Bully
YouTube mukbang content creator NareumTV, boasting a large fan base of 2.63M subscribers, revealed that one of her school bullies has debuted as a K-Pop idol through PRODUCE 101 Season 2.
In an Instagram reel shared December 18, 2025 (KST), NareumTV accused an unnamed contestant from the Mnet competition of having bullied her back when she was in 4th grade.
A few years ago, I was flipping through TV channels when PRODUCE 101 came on, and I saw a familiar face. It was one of the people who bullied me at school. I was bullied when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. People might say, ‘Bullying at ten years old? That’s so young. Isn’t it just kids being kids?’ But even ten-year-olds can be incredibly malicious.
— NareumTV
NareumTV explained that the bully-turned-idol even set up an “anti-cafe,” or a hateful website, dedicated to her for posting insults every day. But being “extremely timid” at the time, NareumTV couldn’t fight back.
It became so unbearable that I told my mom, and after meeting with my homeroom teacher, I remember crying in a taxi on the way home, saying, ‘If I die, will they get punished? I hope they do.’ Even now, 20 years later, I remember how that day went for me and the exact conversation I had.
— NareumTV
Years later, NareumTV attempted to confront the bully via Facebook, but she was met with silence. Noting that the idol isn’t “hugely famous” just yet, the YouTuber hinted that she is willing to forgive them if they apologize before it’s too late.
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I opened Facebook and saw that person pop up again. I worked up the courage to send a message, but it ended with me being ignored…
…That person was eliminated and didn’t debut through that program, but has since debuted under another agency. I don’t wish for them to fail. They’re not a hugely famous idol yet, but just as everyone has their own time to shine, I believe that person will have theirs too. When that time comes, I hope they’ll at least apologize and say they were too young back then. I’d like to say, ‘Yes, we really were young,’ and smile as I share my support for them.
— NareumTV
Based on the clues, such as the fact that NareumTV was born in 1994 in Busan, her followers are now speculating which of the PRODUCE 101 contestants it was.
- “Nareum was born in early 1994 in Busan, so… that really narrows things down.”
- “Apologize already.”
- “There’s only one contestant who fits that background.”
- “Oh, whew, thank goodness it’s not my idol.”
- “Should’ve done better.”
- “An entire anti-café?! They were so malicious.”
- “They ignored her message after all those years? Insane.”
- “School bullies are let off too easily. No wonder they had the audacity to sign up for an audition program.”
- “Is there anyone else other than CTW who fits that description?”
- “The bully is in such a flop group that this won’t even matter… But they should still apologize nonetheless.”
- “There’s only one contestant who fits the bill…”
- “People defending the idol are the reason why kids these days have no fear doing the most horrendous things.”
- “To those defending the bully… Listen to her when she says her heart was shattered to pieces as she read the posts on her own hate site.”
- “I mean… contestants who have SA allegations are also doing just fine as K-Pop idols, so…”
- “If they realize what they did back when they were young was wrong and apologize, then I think we could look at it as a childish mistake. So I hope the YouTuber gets her apology.”
