No Two-Shots Allowed! 24-Hour TV Struggles with Ren Nagase & Minami Hamabe’s Love Rumors

The production setup has been significantly altered

The Josei Seven Plus article released on July 16 reported on the sleepover romance between Ren Nagase (26) of King & Prince and Minami Hamabe (24), a revelation that shocked not only fans but also the general public.

The reason is that Nagase and Hamabe are scheduled to serve as charity personalities on 24-Hour TV (NTV), which will air on August 30 and 31 this year. At the press conference announcing the program, the two even presented a rare two-shot.

According to Shukan Bunshun, released on July 24 as a follow-up report, the relationship had already begun before the offer for 24-Hour TV. During the press conference, the two never once made eye contact—was that their silent understanding to protect their secret?

“Honestly, the timing of this scandal was so shocking, I was floored,”

said a Nippon TV insider.

“Of course, at this point we can’t suddenly replace them. That said, during the actual broadcast we must avoid having the two appear together on screen as much as possible. If a two-shot is shown, even though it’s a charity program, all the attention will shift there.

We have to be mindful of both the fans and the agencies, so the production had to undergo major changes from the original plan. The site is in total chaos. I’d love to complain, but since it’s a romance between two unmarried people, we can’t exactly file a grievance with the agency” (same Nippon TV insider)

With the late Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual abuse scandal, the Johnny’s agency effectively collapsed. Since then, it has been restructured as STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (hereafter STARTO). Under this new setup, the barriers against talents dating or getting married have been removed. Just since last year, Tsuyoshi Domoto (46), Yuichi Nakamaru (41), Shigeaki Kato (38), Keiichiro Koyama (41), Daiki Arioka (34), Hikaru Yaotome (34), Akito Kiriyama (35), and Tadayoshi Okura (40) have all married. They are now free to wed.

However, for King & Prince, the group that supports the foundation of the agency’s popularity, things aren’t that simple. In fact, major media outlets such as sports papers and television networks have refrained from following up on reports of Nagase’s romance.

Embezzlement of donations uncovered in 24-Hour TV

“A wide-show program won’t do a follow-up report just because a weekly magazine did. Unless the sports papers cover it, TV programs won’t pick it up,”

said a commercial TV wide-show insider.

“Sports papers don’t report on STARTO’s idols’ gossip. Probably because it would interfere with their access to cover concerts and conduct interviews. TV stations also never report romance stories independently. Unless the agency makes an official announcement, they hold back out of deference. All the networks still maintain a close relationship with STARTO. They can’t make programs without them.

The reason 24-Hour TV chose King & Prince is precisely because of their popularity and ability to draw attention. On the other hand, STARTO itself values its ties with the TV networks, which is why they appointed former Fuji TV executive Katsuaki Suzuki as the new president. Going forward, even stronger pipelines with broadcasters will be built.” (same wide-show insider)

And so, reports of Nagase and Hamabe’s romance have remained confined to weekly magazines and online news. But will they actually appear together on 24-Hour TV?

“Last year, right before the broadcast, there was a huge uproar when YouTuber Fuwa-chan made an inappropriate post about Yasuko (26), the solo comedian who was running the charity marathon. And now this year, we have the romance reports about Nagase and Hamabe. The Nippon TV Group pours its full resources into this massive live-broadcast project, where failure isn’t an option, yet for the second year in a row, an unexpected situation has arisen. The on-site staff are extremely tense.” (previous NTV insider)

Speaking of 24-Hour TV, on July 17 it was revealed that a former executive employee of Nihonkai TV (a Tottori-based affiliate) had embezzled about 4.8 million yen in donations and other funds. He was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years.

With the public’s eyes watching more critically than ever, how will the program be put together this time?