Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada End Downtown DX Shocking and Confusing the TV Network

On-site staff had been eagerly awaiting Matsumoto’s return

The popular variety show “Downtown DX” (NTV, produced by Yomiuri TV), which had been on the air for 32 years, announced its end on April 21. It will conclude with the broadcast on June 26.

Hitoshi Matsumoto (61) had been on an extended hiatus from entertainment activities since January last year due to handling a “female scandal” and related legal matters. Masatoshi Hamada (61) announced health issues in March this year and is still on rest. While Hamada continued to support the show alone during Matsumoto’s absence, he was unfortunately unable to return to the program.

Yomiuri TV, the station producing the show, revealed on their website:

“While considering the future of the program, the two members of Downtown conveyed through their agency that ‘due to the hiatus, we have caused inconvenience to many involved parties,’ and after comprehensive consideration, it was decided to end the broadcast.”

A Yomiuri TV insider explained:

“Since Matsumoto took a break due to the scandal, the higher-ups were already considering ending the show. However, the staff on the ground eagerly hoped for Matsumoto’s return, and during his absence, Hamada maintained the same position as when they were both hosting, going so far as to leave Matsumoto’s spot empty. Therefore, Hamada’s health-related hiatus in March was a significant turning point.”

In January, there were plans for Matsumoto’s first appearance on the show via past VTRs as a trial balloon for his return after the scandal. However, this coincided with the announcement of his close friend Masahiro Nakai’s retirement due to a personal scandal, leading to an unexpected replacement of the original program with a rerun.

In April of last year, new projects were widely solicited

“Actually, back in April of last year, when Matsumoto was on hiatus, Yomiuri TV and other affiliated stations were already seeking new projects for the ‘Platinum Night’ time slot. They were broadly gathering interesting proposals from the staff, testing them in late-night special programs, and if they received good reviews, they planned to replace ‘DX’ with them. However, they struggled to find good ideas or talent, and things dragged on.

Amidst this, it was truly surprising that both members of Downtown themselves expressed their intention to end the show. This is because the program is composed of many guests, and honestly, even with a substitute host, the show’s quality hasn’t changed much. I thought they would just wait for Hamada’s return, so there’s been a sense of unease within the station.”

In addition to “Downtown DX,” Downtown has two other regular shows. “Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai” (NTV) will continue without interruption, with the planning team considering alternative guests as needed. “Wednesday Downtown” (TBS) will air the already recorded episodes, and future plans are still under consideration.

Hamada also has many solo regular shows, including Yomiuri TV’s “Hama-chan ga!” and “Hamada Kayousai ★ Okami Shounen,” TBS’s “Prebato!!,” MBS Radio’s “Gobugobu,” and Fuji TV’s “Junk Sports.” These shows are also likely facing a lot of programming challenges.

In front of the Yomiuri TV building, there is a post-shaped character known as “Tospo,” a symbol of “Downtown DX.” Given that it was a representative program of the station, it seems that not only fans but also station employees are mourning its end.