Fromis_9's Lee Chaeyoung has finally addressed misunderstandings that led some people to believe she was a smoker.
On July 23, fromis_9's Lee Chaeyoung and Lee Nakyung appeared on 'The Truman Show,' a segment on the Youtube channel 'oOo_blahblah,' where guests take a lie detector test while answering questions.
During the episode, Lee Chaeyoung brought up the smoking rumors herself. When host Lee Yongjin asked if there was anything she wanted to clear up using the lie detector, she immediately answered, "I'm not a smoker," making everyone laugh.
Explaining how the rumor started, Lee Chaeyoung said, "If you search my name, 'cigarettes' pops up as a related search term. I wasn't a smoker back then, and I'm still not one now. I have never smoked in my life." She added:
"I once uploaded a photo, and an e-cigarette happened to appear in the picture. It was actually far away from me. Since I don't smoke, I didn't even realize it was an e-cigarette."
The smoking rumors first started in 2023, when people online noticed what looked like an e-cigarette in a photo Lee Chaeyoung posted and quickly deleted. While many fans defended her, saying, "She's an adult, so what's the problem?", it was still a sensitive matter for an idol. Since then, 'cigarettes' has remained tied to her search results.
Talking about how people reacted, she added, "Nobody even doubted for a second that I was a smoker. Some people even said, 'I'd be disappointed if you didn't actually smoke.'"
When Lee Yongjin jokingly asked, "Don't people ask you to recommend good e-cigarette flavors?" Lee Chaeyoung replied:
"No. But an e-cigarette company actually reached out to me and offered to sponsor me for life."
To clear up the rumor for good, when asked, "Are you a non-smoker?" Lee Chaeyoung answered, "Yes," and the lie detector proved she was telling the truth. She then pleaded, "Please remove those related search terms now. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life."
Lee Yongjin then joked, "It's funny that so many people think, 'Yeah, you definitely look like you'd smoke.' Maybe you just have the look of a smoker." Lee Chaeyoung laughed and shared her frustration, saying, "I think that's what bothered me the most. You'd think people would at least question it a little, but maybe because my voice is a bit husky, everyone just assumed I smoked."
Fellow member Lee Nakyung backed her up, saying, "Chaeyoung always felt so unfairly accused. But she never really had a chance to explain herself." Feeling thankful, Lee Chaeyoung replied, "I feel so relieved now. Thank you so much."
Meanwhile, Fromis_9 recently made a comeback on July 21 with their second full album, 'Glow ME,' marking their first album release in nearly three years. They are currently promoting the title track, 'Vitamin ME.' What makes this album special is that every member participated in writing and producing the songs, showing off their own style while keeping the group's signature bright energy.
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