BTS’ J-hope says his father was initially “against” his love for dancing

BTS rapper and dancer J-hope has discussed his parents’ initial disapproval when he first started dancing.

On March 12, the K-pop idol appeared on Korean-American singer Jay Park’s talk show The Seasons — Jay Park’s Drive, where he discussed his new J. Cole collaboration ‘On The Street’ and his journey as a dancer.

After a performance and introduction of ‘On The Street’, which nods to J-hope’s beginnings as part of a street dance team, Park asked the idol if his parents were worried when he first began dancing.

“There was huge disapproval. My father is a literature teacher who also taught at the school I went to, and he was asking why I suddenly fell in love with dance,” J-hope shared.

Park pointed out that he could have just kept his grades up and still dance, to which the BTS rapper answered that he “couldn’t do that” with a laugh.

“I loved dance so much that I’d be practicing at dawn, coming home late,” J-hope continued. “So that’s why my father was really against it, I think.”

However, he added that his father now expresses full support for his career as a performer. “Now, more than anyone, even just watching [me] on television broadcasts makes him happy,” the idol shared.

Elsewhere during the episode, J-hope also performed his Billboard Hot 100 hit ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’, ‘Jack In The Box’ singles ‘More’ and ‘Arson’, along with solo renditions of BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Butter’.

Late last month, Big Hit Music announced that J-hope had begun the process of enlisting for his mandatory military service. While the idol technically does not have to enlist until he turns 30 in February 2024, the agency shared that J-Hope has terminated his enlistment postponement.