RM has gone viral after emotionally reflecting on how differently BTS was treated at the American Music Awards compared to their first appearance back in 2017.

During BTS’s recent “ARIRANG” world tour stop in Las Vegas, RM spoke candidly to fans about the group’s journey in the American music industry while thanking ARMYs for supporting them through every stage of their career.

The moment that especially touched fans came when RM described what their very first AMAs experience was actually like nearly a decade ago.

According to RM, when BTS attended the AMAs in 2017, the group did not even have a proper backstage preparation room. Instead, they reportedly had to do their makeup in the hallway while constantly apologizing whenever major celebrities walked past them.

He contrasted that memory with this year’s experience, explaining that at the 2026 AMAs, BTS was given the biggest room backstage and received warm treatment from both artists and staff throughout the event.

Fans online became emotional hearing the story because it highlighted just how dramatically BTS’s status has changed over the years.

At the time of their first AMAs appearance in 2017, BTS was still relatively unknown within the American mainstream music industry despite already having a massive global fanbase. Their performance of “DNA” that year is now widely remembered as one of the key moments that helped launch the group into worldwide superstardom.

Now, nearly a decade later, BTS returned to the AMAs as one of the biggest acts in the world and won multiple awards including:

• Artist of the Year
• Song of the Summer
• Best Male K-Pop Artist

Many fans said RM’s story made them emotional because it showed the unseen struggles behind BTS’s rise.

One viral fan reaction said:

“I wasn’t planning on crying today but here we are.”

Another fan wrote that hearing RM describe apologizing in hallways while preparing for performances made them realize how difficult those early years truly were.

For longtime ARMYs, the moment felt especially meaningful because it reflected one of BTS’s core narratives throughout their career:
slowly earning recognition through persistence, hard work, and an intensely loyal fanbase.

And for many fans watching RM speak onstage in 2026, the image of BTS going from “doing makeup in hallways” to receiving the biggest room at the AMAs became symbolic of how far the group has come.