Former Plus-Minus Member Iwahashi’s Program Exposure Post Angers Staff with the Deletion Ordeal

“I never thought there could be something scarier than Yoshimoto so close by.”

Former Plus-Minus member Yoshimasa Iwahashi posted a series of complaints and revelations on his X account on May 25, ultimately confessing that he was scolded by the staff and had to delete them.

On the 21st, his former partner Takashi Kanemitsu appeared as a solo comedian on Aiseki Shokudo (ABC TV). The show focused on supporting Kanemitsu, featuring him for an hour.

“Just before the duo’s breakup, Kanemitsu bought a house for 120 million yen, with loan repayments extending until he turns 79. He also purchased an 8 million yen car. Right after his wife became pregnant, Iwahashi suddenly ‘burst’ on X, leading to an abrupt breakup without even a face-to-face discussion. Sympathy has been pouring in for Kanemitsu, and he has been appearing more frequently on Yoshimoto-affiliated programs recently.” (TV Network Insider)

In response to this trend, Iwahashi vented on X on the 24th:

“Glad to see Kanemitsu on TV a lot. If that’s the case, why didn’t they put him on before we broke up? It’s all about power. They can do anything. That’s what I hate.”

He vented his frustrations.

His dissatisfaction seemed to have built up even more, as on the 25th, he directed his anger towards Downtown’s Hamada.

“Downtown’s Hamada-san told me to come to Tokyo, saying it’s about time, so I moved here twelve years ago. Now that I have no connection with Hamada-san, I wonder why I’m still in Tokyo. Even if I’m in this situation, naturally, he won’t take any responsibility, and there’s no way he would extend a helping hand.” (Deleted)

And he also posted grievances against Hamada.

Regarding Hamada, he has previously exposed that he was harassed by the president of the production company that mostly handles Hamada’s shows. It seems that there is a certain consciousness of not being helped not only at that time but also now.

While carrying a negative aura, Iwahashi continued to vent his complaints about various other things.

“During recording as an MC for a certain comedy variety show, he confessed that he was insulted with language that was prohibited from being broadcast and felt uncomfortable. Additionally, despite the show being advertised as improvisation, he posted content revealing that topics were distributed beforehand and comedians had already thought about them extensively.

I thought this would cause another uproar. Or rather, Iwahashi seems to be concerned that he won’t attract attention unless he exposes things regularly, and that he’ll lose followers.” (Sports Newspaper Reporter)

Iwahashi is often involved in such revelations, frequently picking fights with his former agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and Fuji TV. It was, so to speak, “business as usual.”

However, after a while, Iwahashi revealed:

“I, Iwahashi, have deleted a tweet for the first time. I was completely beaten up by the staff from morning to the point where it felt like I was in another world. I never imagined there could be something scarier than Yoshimoto so close by. This, too, is a lesson.”

He revealed that he deleted the revealing post.

“Having caused trouble and left Yoshimoto, I once made a proper apology in a video, but the essence hasn’t changed much. Still, for the staff who stuck with me, there must have been a feeling that enough is enough. Having someone get angry with you can also act as a deterrent, so isn’t that a good thing?” (Former TV industry insider)

Iwahashi, who often triggers controversies on X, might want to consider having SNS managed by staff scarier than Yoshimoto for the sake of his future in the entertainment industry.