Yasuko’s Controversy Highlights the Tragedy of Being Perceived as a Likeable Talent

Raising your likability too much is dangerous

In December last year, on “Yobidashi Sensei Tanaka” (Fuji TV), her teasing of Aoya Igari (23) from the idol group “KEY TO LIT” with “That’s why you can’t debut” sparked a flood of criticism. Since then, every time Yasuko (27) makes a sharp comment, it leads to a backlash.

“In the January 27 broadcast of ‘Kuronadaru’ (TV Asahi), Kuro-chan (49) from ‘Yasuda Dai Circus’ expressed concern, saying ‘If her likability rises too much, it might be bad,’ and I think that’s the core issue.

As Minamikawa (43) pointed out on the late-night February 21 broadcast of ‘God Tongue’ (TV Tokyo), Yasuko’s comedy style is originally about getting laughs from the gap between her soothing persona and her poisonous remarks.

That gap has gradually led the public to recognize her as a likable talent, which has become a sort of tragedy. She has admitted herself that she’s a bit scheming, so her challenge going forward is how to bridge that gap with public perception,” said a TV writer.

Yasuko herself feels it keenly, and advertising agency officials speculate, “Because she has a sense of crisis, she may be intentionally making sharp remarks.”

“In the Igari incident, she ended up alienating some former Johnny’s fans, but it didn’t lead to a fatal backlash. She probably started correcting herself to her original character before her likability rose too much. If it had been delayed by six months, it could have been irreparable.”

Even ‘Sandwich Man’, a representative of high-likability comedians, has confessed in interviews and radio shows, “We don’t need likability.”

“The SNS era is scary. Even the slightest deviation from the public’s expected image invites criticism. Talents who sell themselves purely on ‘likability’ are fine, but for comedians who became popular through skill, it restricts the kind of comedy they can perform and is just troublesome.

Ryota Yamasato (48) of ‘Nankai Candies’, whose sharp, unpopular-but-funny persona was popular, has quieted down since marrying Yu Aoi (40) and hosting the info program ‘DayDay’. (Nippon TV).

The revival last year of the popular variety series ‘Tarinai Futari’ (Nippon TV), featuring the two socially inept, unpopular guys – Masayasu Wakabayashi (47) of ‘Audrey’ and his partner – was likely aimed at reasserting their original comedic persona,” added the same TV writer.

Recently, candid talk variety shows aimed at online news have increased, but a production company director says, “Comedians with high likability are often avoided at the casting meeting stage.”

“If a high-likability comedian makes sharp remarks, it can cause a backlash like Yasuko’s and bring criticism to the show itself. For already popular comedians, it’s fine, but for young comedians still trying to get their faces and names known, this type of talk show is unavoidable. Male comedians who have just started gaining popularity deliberately sharing trashy stories understand that raising your likability too much can backfire later.”

In today’s world, where a single backlash can get you removed, keeping one’s likability in check serves as a form of risk management.

From “FRIDAY”, March 13–20, 2026 combined issue