Fuji TV Faces a New Major Headache Behind the Sake no Tsumami Cancellation

The puzzling episode replacement

“At the end of many talks with Nobu, we’ve decided to quit Sake no Tsumami.”

This was revealed at the opening of the October 31 broadcast of the talk-variety show Sake no Tsumami ni Naru Hanashi(hereafter, Sake no Tsumami), hosted by comedy duo Chidori. It was Daigo (45), one half of Chidori, who announced the decision to leave the program.

He ended his comments with: “Yes, well then—if it’s not interesting, it’s not television. Fuji TV. Thank you very much.” This line echoed Fuji TV’s golden-era slogan, “If it’s not fun, it’s not TV,” delivering news of the program’s end with a hint of irony.

The trigger for the ending announcement came when the October 24 broadcast one week earlier was abruptly replaced.

“In the preview aired the week before, it was shown that the October 24 episode would feature Daigo in a Halloween-themed cosplay resembling Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto (62), with blond hair and a muscular build. But this costume became an issue within the station, and at the last minute, the episode was replaced with a past one.

During last year’s Halloween season, Daigo also appeared in a Matsumoto cosplay. At the time, Matsumoto had already filed a lawsuit related to a series of reports in Shukan Bunshun, yet that footage had aired normally. So the decision to swap out the episode this time was extremely puzzling,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

The program originally featured Matsumoto as the host, but after he suspended activities last January to focus on his lawsuit, the show was renamed on February 9 from Hitoshi Matsumoto no Sake no Tsumami ni Naru Hanashi, with Daigo taking over the host seat previously occupied by Matsumoto.

“Daigo apparently said repeatedly, ‘I’ll protect this show until Matsumoto-san comes back.’ Because he carried that sentiment, he likely did the cosplay to remind viewers of Matsumoto. So having the episode replaced because of it must have left him deeply frustrated,” said a Fuji TV staff member.

The episode replacement on October 24 came just before Matsumoto’s planned return to the public eye on November 1 via his new paid platform DOWNTOWN+, which drew attention. Behind the scenes, various movements reportedly took place between the replacement and the eventual broadcast.

Who leaked the episode replacement issue?

“Fuji reportedly informed Yoshimoto about the replacement only on the evening of the broadcast day. Yoshimoto panicked and immediately held repeated discussions with Fuji to stop the replacement, but Fuji wouldn’t budge at all,” said an entertainment agency insider.

When some media outlets reported that the episode had been replaced—and that the reason was the Matsumoto cosplay—other sports newspapers and online media quickly followed.

“In fact, by the evening of the 24th—while discussions about the replacement were still ongoing—multiple media outlets already knew that the episode would be swapped and that the cause was Daigo’s cosplay. If information is leaking externally while talks are still happening, it’s only natural that Yoshimoto’s distrust toward Fuji would deepen,” the same source said.

Fuji then made the official announcement before the October 31 broadcast that Sake no Tsumami would end. The decision was not based solely on Chidori’s wishes.

“Nippon TV announced at its recent regular press conference that it would provide archival footage of its shows featuring Matsumoto to the DOWNTOWN+ platform. Fuji TV had also offered to provide its own material. And yet, the Matsumoto cosplay was considered unacceptable—a completely inconsistent stance. Matsumoto himself was reportedly exasperated and suggested to Yoshimoto, ‘Maybe it’s time to pull my related programs from Fuji.’ Chidori seems to have followed this sentiment, leading to the decision to end the show,” said the Fuji TV staff member.

Inside Fuji TV, concerns are now growing about the wider fallout following the end of Sake no Tsumami.

“Chidori appear on two programs here: Chidori no Onirenchan and Sporuto!, but there is now a possibility they may step down from both. That could lead to other Yoshimoto comedians also withdrawing from Fuji TV programs. On New Year’s Eve, the variety special Atarashii Kagi is scheduled to air. Not only are Yoshimoto comedians like Shimofuri Myojo and Chocolate Planet the main performers, but Yoshimoto is also involved in production. The show can’t function without Yoshimoto,” the insider said.

Is it truly possible that Yoshimoto comedians may withdraw from Fuji TV? The entertainment agency insider commented:

“As a company, Yoshimoto will maintain a formally neutral relationship with individual programs. However, if the comedians themselves develop a strong dislike for Fuji TV, it may become difficult to maintain the same relationship as before.”

It seems Fuji TV has found itself burdened with yet another major problem.

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