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Fans call BTS' RM's AMAs win over Jimin 'OBVIOUSLY rigged,' citing alleged vote count evidence
Was the AMAs vote count tampered with to favor RM over Jimin in the Favorite K-Pop Artist category? Read to find out why fans think so.
On May 27, BTS' RM attained an impressive feat by winning the Favorite K-Pop Artist at the American Music Awards (AMAs) 2025. With that, he created history as the first-ever Korean artist to clinch an AMA title. Fans were over the moon about his achievement, with many sharing heartfelt congratulatory messages. However, there were some who expressed their dissatisfaction with the result, alleging the award show was rigged. They allegedly contained evidence of Jimin leading the race.
Why was RM's AMAs win termed rigged?
Kim Namjoon's win was questioned by many, with them taking to social media to share vote count data to back their claim that fellow BTS member Jimin was the worthy winner of the Favorite K-Pop Artist award. The prestigious U.S.-based awards show used a system of fans voting on the AMAs website and through hashtags on Instagram to determine the winners.
However, some fans, who tracked the hashtag counts, shared a screenshot, which showcased Jimin leading by a huge margin, followed by RM and then by the other contenders like Stray Kids.
Was Jimin the deserved winner of the Favorite K-Pop Artist award?
Many called the result "OBVIOUSLY rigged," as RM won over Jimin despite being in second position in the hashtag tracking data. However, it is to be noted that the authenticity of the data is not guaranteed. Furthermore, the hashtags alone can't determine the winners, as the AMAs website votes are also to be considered. Hence, it is difficult to say whether Jimin deserved to take the award instead of RM.
Was RM's nomination in the AMAs justified?
Not just the BTS leader's Favorite K-Pop Artist title win, but his nomination itself sparked controversy. Many presented K-pop acts' charting performance in America as proof of the award show being rigged. They raised questions like, "How rm got nominated in the first place for amas." In the shared screenshot, RM can be clearly seen way down the rank in Billboard and other US-based charts compared to his contenders—Jimin, Rosé and Stray Kids.
However, there isn't any information regarding the selection process of nominees for the Favorite K-Pop Artist category.
