Downtown’s Masatoshi Hamada Surrounded by Program Staff Beams with Smile
In late May, Masatoshi Hamada emerged from a studio in Tokyo with a cheerful expression throughout. Sporting his usual style of colored glasses, T-shirt, and track pants, Hamada’s words prompted laughter from the numerous staff surrounding him.
Following allegations of sexual misconduct reported by Shukan Bunshun, Hitoshi Matsumoto of “Downtown” announced a hiatus from entertainment activities on January 8. At the time, he held seven regular television programs, causing significant disruption in the TV industry.
“Particularly, it seems Hamada-san was quite shocked, and at first, those around him didn’t know how to react at all. On January 26, he appeared on his own radio show ‘Gobugobu Radio’ on Osaka’s MBS Radio and said for the first time,
‘Well, for now, there’s no replacement, so until he comes back, I’ll do what I can to the best of my ability. Within my limits, of course. I’ll do my best and wait.’
And for the first time, he confessed his feelings.
‘Maybe I should start looking for a partner until he comes back. Should I hold auditions? I’m urgently looking for a partner. But as soon as Matsumoto-san returns, we’ll dissolve right away.’
With that, he made the studio laugh, and the television industry breathed a sigh of relief. However, there were voices in shows like ‘Downtown DX’ (NTV) and ‘Wednesday Downtown’ (TBS) expressing concerns that relying too much on Matsumoto-san’s comments and reactions could be too burdensome.” (Commercial Variety Show Director)
