Back in 2023, a feud began between SM Entertainment and EXO members Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin (collectively known as EXO-CBX or ChenBaekXi). The feud escalated into a legal battle as the trio filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate their exclusive contracts.
Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin claimed that SM Entertainment was enforcing unfair "slave contracts" and lacked financial transparency. However, SM Entertainment denied the claims and accused an external influence for EXO-CBX's decision. Later, the case was settled as SM and EXO-CBX signed a contract allowing the members to manage their solo careers through their own agency, INB100 (founded by Baekhyun and a subsidiary of One Hundred Label), while promoting as EXO under SM Entertainment.
The feud deepened when INB100 accused SM of failing to honor the contract regarding royalties and revenue sharing. In turn, SM sued the members for breaching contract terms, and EXO-CBX counter-sued SM.
The tension between SM Entertainment and EXO-CBX continued, and recently, the tension grew to another feud when One Hundred Label accused SM of blocking Xiumin from appearing on KBS.
With the renewed escalation of the conflict, EXO fans are growing increasingly worried the full group comeback will not happen.
One fan wrote, "So why did ChenBaekXi sue? Back in the old TVXQ days, it was clear that their treatment was bad, so they had something to say, but these guys signed contracts under the standard contract that was made after the old TVXQ incident. Now they’re complaining about slave contracts and saying they can’t even appear on music shows. Seriously, did they not think they wouldn’t be able to appear on music shows when they saw how long it took for JYJ to even appear after not being able to for over 10 years? Honestly, I still don’t understand ChenBaekXi’s confidence. It's not like they speak Japanese fluently to promote in Japan or are good enough to make a living in Japan, or did they think they could transition into musicals or acting, or some other career like that? On top of that, one of them is a father, another one has a history of dating rumors, and fans these days don’t have the same 'cling to their favorite' mentality as 2nd-gen fans did. What were they thinking when they caused all this? I can’t even believe the slave contract accusations because after the standard contract was created. There were articles about SM rewriting contracts for artists like TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, and SHINee. It was such a big deal that it even made the news that all the senior artists had re-signed new contracts with SM, so after that, how could these guys claim they were under a slave contract? I just don’t believe it. And D.O. ended his contract and left SM cleanly, continuing activities without any drama. If it was a slave contract, wouldn’t there have been some kind of issue with D.O. too? But all they do is keep insisting it’s a slave contract with no solid proof. Just because they keep saying it doesn’t make it true. Even if Sehun comes back, EXO won’t be the same complete group as before. D.O. also said in an interview that it would be hard for EXO to come back as a full group this year since everyone's busy with individual activities. So what’s the chance next year or the year after? Fans have been asking for a BaekhyunDO unit, and while D.O. could form a unit with the members as he’s no longer under SM, I honestly don’t see it happening. They don’t seem motivated for a unit. It seems like we’ll have to wait for at least 10 more years if we’re lucky."
Other fans joined the discussion and expressed their concerns as well. They commented:
"The moment ChenBaekXi filed the lawsuit, the group comeback was thrown out the door."
"I really don't know why ChenBaekXi filed a lawsuit. It's not like they were being treated badly like old TVXQ or didn't make money. They earned so much money but they seemed greedy for more, especially Chen, lol. What kind of agency keeps an idol who became a father? He's so shameless."
"Suho was trying to make something happen but things aren't really going well... Such a disappointment."
"I was a stan for 8 years but honestly I feel bad for Kai and Suho the most. Except these two, the other members don't seem that attached to EXO."
"They should've stayed in SM..."
"I'm still an EXO fan but I get so triggered when I read about this incident. The three that left should just do whatever on their own. The other members should talk with D.O. and do something together... We don't even expect anything grand."
"Honestly, it just looks like they were lured by temptation and left. If the contract was unfair, would it have only been unfair to the three of them? The other members probably had the same contract... and the ones who stayed aren’t fools either. They haven’t really accomplished anything, and it’s not like they’ve done anything exceptional in other fields either. Instead, they’ve just gone out and tarnished their image, so I don’t consider them as EXO members anymore. (Just for the record, I’m an EXO fan.)"
"It's always better to stay with the group in the long run..."
"They have years of experience and are with different agencies now. So even if they do reunite as a full group, they won't be able to do activities like before. It'll probably just be things like releasing anniversary albums and doing fan meetings."
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