Former Kanjani∞/NEWS Member Uchi Charms Fans Despite Live Stream Slip-Ups

Capturing everyone’s hearts

Hiroki Uchi (39), former member of Kanjani∞ (now SUPER EIGHT) and NEWS, opened an Instagram account on October 27. The following day, on the 28th, he held his first Instagram Live. Right from the start, Uchi—who is unfamiliar with SNS—accidentally said the now-taboo word “Johnny’s,” making various beginner blunders, according to an entertainment writer.

Uchi, born in Osaka Prefecture, entered Johnny’s (then Johnny & Associates) in 1999 and trained as part of Kansai Juniors. He was selected as a member of Kanjani∞, formed in December 2002. In 2003, he also began activities with NEWS, making their indie debut in November with “NEWS Nippon.”

In August 2004, he released the single “Naniwa Iroha Bushi” under Kanjani∞, making a CD debut limited to the Kansai region. Along with Ryo Nishikido (41), he was active in both NEWS and Kanjani∞. However, in July 2005, he was caught drinking alcohol as a minor (he was 18 at the time) and received an indefinite suspension. At the end of the following year, he returned as a trainee, but he officially left both Kanjani∞ and NEWS, shifting to solo work.

Since then, Uchi has pursued a solo career in music and stage acting. Now, in step with the times, he has made his Instagram debut—but he seems unfamiliar with SNS and live streaming.

At the start of his livestream, Uchi explained the background of his account:

“I think it was on my birthday on September 10, during a Johnny’s Web stream, I said, ‘I’ll be starting Instagram.’”

However, in naturally explaining this, he uttered the now-taboo former agency name, tied to the sexual abuse scandal involving the late Johnny Kitagawa.

After noticing comments pointing it out, he reacted:

“Ah, did I say it?”

Realizing the issue, he added:

“I had no bad intentions, and I didn’t say it on purpose. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll be careful as I continue today’s stream.”

Staff had to step in as unexpected moments kept happening

“Uchi didn’t seem to understand common SNS or livestream terms like hashtag or archive, and he stayed adorably inexperienced the entire time. During the stream, he also shared rare stories—like how he still occasionally exchanges messages with his former bandmate Ryo Nishikido, and that he has current SUPER EIGHT member Ryūhei Maruyama’s LINE contact. NEWS member Keiichiro Koyama (41) was also watching the stream and, through the comments, they even made plans to have dinner in November,” an entertainment writer said.

During a section set aside for viewers to take screenshots, the topic turned to the NEWS pose, and Uchi even sang part of NEWS Nippon with gestures for the first time in years.

“The pose he did happened to be corna, a hand gesture considered offensive in certain countries, so staff stopped him. During the screenshot time, he also held up what appeared to be a staff-prepared sheet titled Instagram Live Operation Manual toward the camera—another unusual moment,” the writer continued.

Once these moments spread on X (formerly Twitter), users—many of whom clearly hadn’t watched the full stream—criticized him:

“Isn’t it inappropriate to show internal manuals?”

Despite this, many viewers were charmed by him.

“Uchi had been away from TV for a long time after the underage drinking incident, and his recent work had been mostly stage acting. Even STARTO fans hadn’t seen him speak casually like this in years,” the writer said.

Fans reacted warmly:

“Seeing Uchi-kun again after so long—his way of talking hasn’t changed at all. It brought back my youth.”

“He’s still adorable no matter how old he gets. He was my first love!”
“I only knew him from when he was younger or from dramas—didn’t know he talked so softly and sweetly.”
“He looks like an adult now, but his voice and gentle way of speaking are exactly the same as before. My heart can’t take it.”

Recently, Uchi made an unannounced guest appearance in episodes 3 and 4 of the October-season drama ESCAPE: Sore wa Yūkai no Hazu Datta (NTV), starring Hiyori Sakurada (22) and Hayato Sano of M!LK (27). It marked his first drama appearance in about 12 years since Tengoku no Koi (Fuji TV, 2013).

He also made a surprise appearance in episode 6 (Nov 11) of Fuji TV’s Shin Tokyo Suijō Keisatsu, starring Ryōta Satō (45) and featuring NEWS member Shigeaki Kato (38)—reuniting him with another former colleague.

With his recent TV reappearances and new Instagram account, Uchi may be on the verge of gaining a new wave of fans.