Taeil, the former member of NCT, has recently made his first online move following a huge controversy. On September 4, the idol took to Instagram and went into digital hiding, making his profile private. The account, which has approximately 4.9 million followers, has seen a rapid decline in popularity after Taeil’s involvement in a sexual offense case.
Taeil has now made his Instagram private following his involvement in a sex crime case.
He has lost nearly 1 million followers since the news broke. pic.twitter.com/b7MYtYh5uK
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 4, 2024
This virtual move also comes just days after SM Entertainment announced that Taeil would no longer be part of NCT due to the aforementioned criminal offense. The company made it clear that the former member would no longer participate in the group and confirmed the authorities are investigating the case.
This is SM Entertainment.
We have recently confirmed that Taeil has been sued in a criminal case related to a sexual crime. While trying to ascertain the facts, we recognized the severity of the matter and have decided that it would no longer be possible for him to continue…. pic.twitter.com/7lJLDsbj3m
— 𝙛𝙤𝙩𝙛𝙤𝙩 ◡̈ (@truzfilm) August 28, 2024
Following this confirmation, most NCT members unfollowed Taeil on social media, and fan reactions were quick and intense. NCTzens (that’s the name NCT fans have) decided to collectively unfollow the idol, making the following number drop by over a million, several fan pages shut down and some others destroyed Taeil’s merch in protest.