Why TV Stations Are Phasing Out Old Johnny’s and Exploring Other Talents

On May 19, it was announced that SixTONES would serve as the personalities for the 44th National High School Quiz Championship (Kōkōsei Quiz) on Nippon TV.

Criticism arose online with comments like “It’s Johnny’s again after all,” and the media speculated that another Johnny’s idol might be selected for the charity personality role for August’s “24-Hour Television: Love Saves the Earth” on Nippon TV, which had been rumored to consider talents from other agencies or boy groups. However,

“A noticeable change is occurring within the TV stations.”

Said a mid-level staff member from a production company.

“We frequently move between different stations, and recently at Fuji TV, we received instructions not to refer to ‘Old Johnny’s’ but to strictly use ‘STARTO Inc.'”

“STARTO Inc.” is the company that has been managing the talents from the former Johnny & Associates since April 10.

There is a significant reason behind this shift.

SMILE-UP. Inc., which is currently focusing on compensation for victims of sexual abuse and plans to dissolve after completing the compensation, is nearing the end of providing compensation to those who suffered abuse from the late Johnny Kitagawa and is preparing to conclude its operations.

However, newspapers are still dedicating space to articles that empathize with the victims and their families. Moreover, despite the involvement of two managers in the sexual abuse cases, one of whom was in charge of the current president of the company, Noriyuki Higashiyama, neither he nor SMILE Inc. is taking action.

Some victims experience flashbacks merely from seeing or hearing the words “Johnny” or “Johnny’s.” This is why TV stations prefer to avoid using the term “Old Johnny’s Office.”

“In meetings at TBS, there has been talk of promoting male talents from agencies other than STARTO Inc., similar to how ‘Shūchishin’ was promoted on Fuji TV’s ‘Quiz! Hexagon.’ Fuji TV, which excels at this type of promotion, has already created a male trio called ‘Shonchudai’ for the show ‘Yobidashi Sensei Tanaka,'” said a broadcast writer.

How about Nippon TV, which seems to have a close relationship with STARTO Inc.? They often cast idols from STARTO Inc. in their serial dramas.

“I heard that SixTONES’ involvement in ‘Kōkōsei Quiz’ is partly to support member Shintaro Morimoto. Originally, the drama ‘Tartan,’ starring Muro Tsuyoshi, was supposed to air in the April season, but it was canceled, and Muro-san stepped down. Riho Yoshioka, who was supposed to co-star, also expressed her confusion on social media. When the drama team at Nippon TV was in a bind, Morimoto-kun, who received praise for his performance in ‘Daga, Jonetsu wa Aru,’ accepted the sudden offer. Since the entries for ‘Kōkōsei Quiz’ started on May 19, they could promote both the drama and the quiz show together. That’s why they made this special request this time,” the writer explained.

Following this, it seems unlikely that other talents from STARTO Inc. will appear due to side deals or considerations. The aforementioned broadcast writer continued.

“At Nippon TV, many staff members are paying attention to auditions held by major production companies like Amuse and Stardust. There are also programs that regularly hold their own auditions. Some producers explicitly state in meetings, ‘We don’t need to use former Johnny’s talents anymore because of what happened with Johnny’s.’ We broadcast writers are also looking for male talents who are good talkers and a bit ‘silly.'”

A producer of a commercial variety show explained this trend.

“Both STARTO Inc. and TOBE Inc., the successor companies of the old Johnny’s Office, are showing a strong inclination towards being artists. Going forward, there’s no need to deliberately cast them in variety or talk shows, even if they are used in music programs. In talk shows, it would be impossible to avoid talking about the past, and viewers would inevitably be reminded of ‘Johnny’s.’ We want to avoid that risk as much as possible. Some networks might even remove former Johnny’s talents from variety shows in the autumn programming revision.”

At the very least, it seems that in the future, male idols from various agencies will compete more intensely. It seems things are finally returning to a ‘normal form.’

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