<figure id="attachment_357808" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-357808"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0e664888"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/9ecb01c829ee5516fbacf290db1fad5e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-357808" class="wp-caption-text">Will we ever see &#8220;Downtown&#8221; together on location again?</figcaption></figure>
<p>A series of allegations of sexual assault by &#8220;Downtown&#8221; star Matsumoto Hitoshi (60), as reported by the weekly Bunshun, have sent tremors through the TV industry. Matsumoto is suing Bungei Shunju and the magazine&#8217;s editor-in-chief, seeking 550 million yen in damages. He has suspended all activities in order to concentrate on the trial. As many as seven programs in which Matsumoto regularly appears were forced to respond.</p>
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<p>The talk variety &#8220;Matsumo to Nakai&#8221; (Fuji TV), which started in April 2011 with Matsumoto and Masahiro Nakai (51) as MCs, was renewed on February 4 to &#8220;Dareka to Nakai&#8221; with Nakai and Kazuya Ninomiya (40) of &#8220;Arashi&#8221; as new MCs. In addition, &#8220;Downtown DX&#8221; (NTV) and &#8220;Wednesday&#8217;s Downtown&#8221; (TBS) will continue with his partner Masao Hamada (60) as the sole MC. Hitoshi Matsumoto&#8217;s &#8220;Sake no Tsumami ni naru Hanashi&#8221; (Fuji) will be renewed as &#8220;Sake no Tsumami ni Naru Hanashi&#8221; with Chidori as the MC.</p>
<p>Matsumoto has continued to reign at the top of the comedy world. The absence of this &#8220;charismatic&#8221; figure, who has delivered many great programs and plans to the TV audience, may be a blow to the TV industry, but what I heard at &#8230;&#8230; was a surprising voice.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent">At least, none of the TV people around me are lamenting Matsu-chan&#8217;s absence,&#8221;</span> said a director of a key station.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Matsu-chan is a pain in the ass. He is in a bad mood and unfriendly on the set, and even though he is the MC, he doesn&#8217;t learn much of the show&#8217;s progress. He&#8217;s not very friendly on the set, and even though he&#8217;s the MC, he doesn&#8217;t learn much about the show&#8217;s progression. Maybe that&#8217;s the way it is with all the bigwigs, but for me, his show at &#8230;&#8230; is a &#8220;hardship.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Staff treated like air"></div>
<p>It is no secret that the TV field is hard work, although it has improved considerably with reforms in the way people work. What motivates them, in no small part, is the joy of &#8220;I <span class="strongInContent">get to work with that TV personality I adored as a child!</span> The staff at the production company quietly shook their heads.</p>
<figure id="attachment_357809" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2258px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-357809"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fca31caf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/17075e20c9ba00ba8af05b4dc17ab9ee.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-357809" class="wp-caption-text">Even before he turned 60, he had been hinting at retirement, saying, &#8220;Just a few more years. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The staff at the production company quietly shook their heads and said, &#8220;It&#8217;s a pleasure to work with Matsu-chan, whom we have watched since childhood!　I was excited only at first. I was excited at first, but only at first. We hardly ever saw eye to eye with each other on the set. We were treated like air. Every time we work with Matsu-chan, the talk is interesting and the show is exciting, and I think that&#8217;s great, but the tension at the recording site is unbearable. It&#8217;s hard to work with Matsu-chan, so I&#8217;m somewhat relieved that he&#8217;s gone. He&#8217;s paid a lot of money, and if the numbers haven&#8217;t dropped dramatically in his absence, the station&#8217;s executives must be very happy, too.</span></p>
<p>Was the &#8220;genius&#8221; Hitoshi Matsumoto becoming the &#8220;King of the Naked?</p>
<p>In today&#8217;s TV industry, which is scrambling to comply with regulations and to prevent firestorms, it is no longer possible to produce edgy performances or sharp projects that suit the wishes of the performers. However, it is impossible to get a laugh with innocent talent. Talent with an excellent sense of balance who can play on the edge without bothering the TV crew is welcomed.</p>
<p>Osamu Suzuki, a broadcaster who knows the golden age of the TV industry, recently announced his retirement, saying, &#8220;I feel I am an old man. He has assured that &#8220;a <span class="strongInContent">replacement for Matsumoto Hitoshi will surely appear.</span></p>
<p>During an appearance on Hiroki Takahashi&#8217;s YouTube channel &#8220;ReHacQ-ReHacQ,&#8221; a famous former TV Tokyo producer, Suzuki <span class="strongInContent">said, &#8220;Gentleman Shimada retired, and Matsuko Deluxe got her break</span>. He developed his theory that <span class="strongInContent">there is no exact same replacement for Matsumoto Hitoshi, but there will always be someone who can fill the vacancy.</span></p>
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<p>The junior comedians have been constantly expressing their respect for him. Will there really be a &#8220;seat&#8221; for Hitoshi Matsumoto in the TV world when the trial is settled?</p>
<figure id="attachment_357810" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2003px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-357810"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="16e4c2c7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/0524a0062224fcd474ff6152e856a211.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-357810" class="wp-caption-text">Koji Kato, the &#8220;mad dog,&#8221; has also seen a sharp decline in terrestrial exposure since the end of &#8220;Sukkiri&#8221; due to the difficulty of handling the situation, but it seems that the hole in his life has been filled.</figcaption></figure>


 Ippei Hara

 Yuri Adachi (Kato)

 A month has passed since comedy giant Hitoshi Matsumoto disappeared from TV. Although all stations were pressed to respond to his absence due to the fact that he has many regular programs, the "absence of the giant" is actually welcomed by some.

Behind Closed Doors: The Quiet Relief Over Matsumoto Hitoshi’s Hiatus in Television Circles

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