T.O.P is officially back — and he made sure the whole world noticed.
Former BIGBANG member T.O.P (Choi Seung Hyun) surprised fans with his first public appearance in years at TUDUM 2025, Netflix’s biggest global fan event, held on May 31 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
TUDUM, named after the iconic Netflix opening sound, celebrates the platform’s most loved stars, shows, and creators from all over the world. This year’s event kicked off with a huge moment — the cast of Squid Game 3 taking the stage.
Top actors Lee Jung Jae and Lee Byung Hun were the first to appear. Lee Jung Jae greeted the fans, saying, “I know everyone is excited for Season 3. I’m sure you all have a lot of questions.”
Lee Byung Hun jokingly added, “One thing is for sure — don’t be friends with this guy,” pointing at Lee Jung Jae. “Things don’t go well when you are.”
Then they introduced more cast members, including Park Sung Hoon, Kang Ae Sim, and to everyone’s surprise — T.O.P.
T.O.P walked out in dark sunglasses and confidently greeted the crowd. “What’s up, Netflix fans,” he said. “You were probably surprised to see me here. But I couldn’t miss out on such a great event.”
He teased fans by adding, “I’m here to give you a little sneak peek of the new Squid Game season,” causing the audience to erupt in cheers.
This marks T.O.P’s first official activity since taking a long break from the spotlight following a legal issue in 2017, during which he received a suspended sentence. After that, he parted ways with BIGBANG and stepped away from the entertainment scene.
Now, T.O.P returns through Squid Game 2 and Squid Game 3, playing a character named ‘Thanos’ — a once-popular rapper who fell into drug addiction and faded away from the scene.
Earlier this year, T.O.P reflected on his past in an interview, sharing, “I was too careless. I received more love than I deserved in my 20s and had such beautiful times, but I made a huge mistake.”
He added, “Back then, I was mentally broken and full of self-hate. I felt deep guilt for disappointing and hurting the people I love, my family, and my fans.”
Fans are now curious — will T.O.P’s powerful role in Squid Game mark a full return to the entertainment world, or is this just a rare moment of closure? Either way, he's definitely back in the spotlight.
Source: [1]
