Yasuko Faces Backlash Over Comments to STARTO Juniors Management Speaks Out

Last October, Yūto Takahashi, who was the ace of the group, left the agency

Comedian Yasuko (27) sparked outrage among idol fans with comments she made on the December 8 broadcast of the variety show Yobidashi Sensei Tanaka (Fuji TV).

The controversial moment occurred during the “Test Showdown” segment, when Sōya Igari (23) of the junior unit KEY TO LIT (formerly under Johnny’s Entertainment, now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) answered incorrectly. Yasuko quipped:

“That’s why you can’t debut!”

The studio laughed at the remark. However, she repeated the same line at Igari, who had narrowly lost by one point, again drawing laughter.

This did not sit well with KEY TO LIT fans, who took to social media in anger:

“Have you ever thought about how fans who’ve waited 10 years feel?”
“Fuwa-chan’s tweets aren’t allowed, but Yasuko’s comment is?”

A sports newspaper reporter explained the background:

“Igari previously belonged to HiHi Jets, a group renowned for its roller-skating performances—a traditional entertainment skill in the agency. Despite their talent, they were unable to debut for some time. Last October, the group’s ace, Yūto Takahashi, left the agency, which was a huge shock for both members and fans.

Additionally, there were concerns because the ‘Jets’ in HiHi Jets stands for ‘Johnny’s Entertainment Team,’ and ultimately, the group was disbanded. In February this year, several junior units were reorganized, including KEY TO LIT. Fans consider this a very sensitive matter, so Yasuko’s joking about it caused the backlash. If she was simply reading from a script, though, she’s somewhat unfortunate.”

The controversy didn’t end there

“A regular user on X posted a defense, saying, ‘Yasuko harshly teased Igari, but made him more entertaining.’ Yasuko reposted this, but after a while, she deleted it. That stirred up the SNS community again,” explained the same sports newspaper reporter.

On X, some users sarcastically referenced Yasuko’s past experience with Fuwa-chan, who had insulted her, posting:

“If Igari tweeted ‘I’m very sad,’ would Yasuko get blacklisted?”

But was Yasuko’s comment according to the script? And why did she repost and then delete it? When questions were sent via her agency, they responded:

“We will not be providing answers to the inquiries received.”

Once a victim of Fuwa-chan’s harsh words, Yasuko now finds herself at odds with idol fans, leaving the reasons behind her remarks a mystery.