Stray Kids’s Felix is one of the big names in the K-pop industry and has a lot of fanbase.

When he goes live on Instagram, thousands of fans and followers of him join him while he does a mukbang. On March 17, 2024, he went live and over 70 thousand fans and followers were watching it.

He talked about his first runway show and his experience while walking for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week 2024. He also talked about his group members, their new songs, and what Stray Kids had planned for the future.

Stray Kids’s Felix. (Source: Instagram)

He did all that while eating chicken and having Coca-Cola. He showed off the bottle of the drink to his fans and followers only to be faced with immediate backlash.

They began spamming the comment section on the live, notifying him of Coca-Cola’s alleged support to the Israel Defense Force and Israel who are committing genocide against Palestine.

Similarly, they asked him to apologize and boycott the brand. It soon began trending across various platforms like Twitter as well. 

Felix took note of all the comments that were being sent along his way and apologized for drinking and showing the bottle of Coca-Cola. While on Instagram live, he said, “By the way, I want to apologize for bringing out the Coca-Cola bottle. I do apologize for just showing that on live.”

He claimed that he did not mean to hurt anyone and constantly apologized for hurting the feelings and sentiments of his fans and followers. “I really want to say I’m very sorry for showing that out. I didn’t want to make STAYs upset, so I just want to say I’m really sorry for bringing that up.”

He also promised that he would never repeat his actions. “And I won’t um… Next time on my mukbang live, when I’m eating chicken or anything else, I won’t do it. I’m sorry for making everyone upset. I’m really sorry. I don’t have time but thank you so much for watching this live, and I hope everyone stays safe and happy this year,” he added.

Netizens were impressed with Felix and lauded him for taking a stance. They noted that his group, Stray Kids, was signed with Coca-Cola, yet he chose to support the boycott.

Stray Kids collaborated with Coca-Cola in late February for its new Coca-Cola K-Wave Zero Sugar release, which not only has a new “Fruity Fantasy” taste but also aims to commemorate the international K-pop audience. They joined ITZY, NMIXX, and JYP Entertainment founder J.Y. Park for the Coca-Cola Creations collaborative single ‘Like Magic.’

A fan on Twitter, “This is crazy if you think about it. Felix the biggest idol of his generation and has the most brand deals. For him to speak that directly about the Coca-Cola boycott when in fact they have a brand deal with them as a company too… This is an idol who CARES.”

“When I tell you this just made me so [expletive] happy, he made a mistake and owned up to it in the same live, even though his company has an ongoing sponsorship with Coke. THANK YOU FELIX. THANK YOU FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING AND APOLOGIZING,” another fan in.

Many noted that Felix might get in trouble for apologizing for drinking and showing off Coca-Cola, but appreciated that he took a stance for humanity. He is known to be a very charitable person, who has donated a lot.

Felix began making frequent donations and sponsorships to Save the Children, an international children’s rights group, in 2020. His services earned him membership in the honors club. 

He also gave ₩50 million to fund relief efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6th, 2023. Felix became the youngest member of the UNICEF Honors Club in January 2024 after donating ₩100 million to the Korean Committee for UNICEF to assist Laos children suffering from inadequate sanitation and nutrition.

Similarly, in early 2024, instead of going on a vacation like his fellow team members, he went to Laos to volunteer with UNICEF and help the children in need. So, it did not come as a surprise to Felix’s fans and followers that he took a stand. 

Felix is the only K-pop idol who has apologized for supporting brands that have funded IDF and Israel. Many other companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s have funded the genocide, directly or indirectly.

However, many K-pop idols are constantly seen drinking Starbucks and eating McDonald’s. While their fans and followers have asked them to boycott it, they have turned a blind eye to it.

As a result, whatever Felix did was commendable and was appreciated by netizens.