John Cena praises BTS and the ‘BTS Army’: ‘I got interested in what the music stood for’

‘How they conduct themselves to me and the message they send to the world, man, that’s something special,’ said the former wrestler

John Cena has applauded the band BTS and their global fanbase, calling them “something special”.

The former wrestler gushed about the K-pop stars and their fans – nicknamed the “BTS ARMY” – when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon yesterday (30 September).

Cena said that he was initially drawn to the boy band’s music because of the “rappers in that crew” but went on to commend BTS for the “message they send to the world”.

“I got interested in the music then I got interested in what the music stood for. They advocate self-love; they advocate, don’t be afraid of failure; they advocate, you are enough,” he explained.

He added: “They are trying to shatter all the stereotypical difficulties and uncomfortable situations that we go through.”

BTS at Billboard Music Awards 2019 (Getty Images)

The 43-year-old went on to praise BTS’s positive influence around the world. He said: “On top of that, there’s this global army, this BTS army that is not just geeked out fans.

“BTS donated $1m (£780,000) to the Black Lives Matter and the army was like: If they can do it, we can do it.”

Cena continued: “Fans who are already coming out of pocket to support artists are coming out of pocket more to support charities – and this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.”

After BTS made their landmark donation to the BLM movement in July, their fans set a #MatchAMillion goal on social media and surpassed the target in just 24-hours.

He concluded: “That’s work and that’s purpose, and that’s f***ing changing the world. That’s impressive.

“I don’t care how you feel about them [...] How they conduct themselves to me and the message they send to the world, man, that’s something special.”

BTS is currently in the middle of a week-long special of music and comedy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The brief residency concludes on Friday (2 October).