"I Felt like They Killed My Father" Tablo Speaks Candidly About Cyberbullying, Grief, and Survival

Epik High’s Tablo revisited the “Tajinyo” saga, saying it once made him feel “the public killed my father,” while opening up about the humor and bandmate support that helped him endure ― and offering comfort to others navigating loss.

On a recent episode of his podcast "Hey Tablo," the rapper reflected on losing loved ones. “The second time I experienced death at close range was when my father passed away,” he said, recalling his dad’s death in 2012.

He tied that loss to the height of the Tajinyo frenzy ― an online mob that, without evidence, targeted him for years, questioning his Stanford University degree, his family, and even his very existence.

“I hate calling it a ‘scandal.’ People were just cruel,” he said. “They kept saying I didn’t go to Stanford, that my resume was fake, my family was fake, my very existence was fake ― for years.”

“Before all that, my father had beaten cancer and was doing fine. Near the end of that nightmare, he got sick again and he passed the next morning. None of us were prepared,” Tablo continued. “It wasn’t only grief. Honestly, it felt like the public killed my father ― it felt like murder. I wasn’t just sad. I was furious.”

He also described navigating his first traditional Korean three-day funeral. “I understand the reasoning, but at the time it felt so harsh on a grieving family,” he admitted.

“You have to greet mourners the entire time ― even if someone arrives at 4 a.m., you’re there. You barely sleep and you’re on your feet for three days,” he said. In that despair, humor became a lifeline. When comedian friends cautiously offered gentle jokes, “I laughed for the first time on the second day. I felt something inside me unlock.”

Tablo emphasized he isn’t telling people to crack jokes at someone’s pain. “You can’t throw humor around anywhere. But in my experience, tiny moments of it can truly help.”

He remembered how his Epik High bandmates stayed by his side the entire time. “When my father passed, Tukutz and Mithra were with me from start to finish for all three days,” he said. “And when Tukutz’s mother passed, Mithra and I did the same.” He added that, in Korea, the hardest part can be after the funeral ends. “When you return home, someone’s absence can fill a room more than their presence ever did. You need comfort for that moment, too.”

“When you’re able to laugh while remembering someone you lost, it can feel like you’re truly honoring them,” he said. “I hope this story can be a little clip you hold onto for when you need it.”

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)