Overview
- During a light segment about the limited‑edition BTS x Oreo collaboration, anchor James Eppler said the cookies’ 13 embossed wafers combined to spell “Death to America,” then immediately tried to walk the comment back on air.
- The remark, broadcast earlier this week, was widely shared online and prompted BTS fans and viewers to demand an apology and call for his firing.
- Eppler is also reported to be an adjunct instructor at Texas Tech, a detail that has added pressure on the university and raised questions about possible professional consequences.
- Oreo has described the collaboration as a celebration of BTS’s Korean heritage, saying the release includes purple wafers, a hotteok‑inspired brown‑sugar pancake creme and 13 different embossments tied to the band’s 13th anniversary, with a rollout set to begin on June 8.
- What to watch next: whether FOX 34 or Texas Tech issue formal responses or discipline, and how the station manages reputational fallout as the product launch approaches.