Broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae is preparing for a comeback after four years, and although fellow entertainers continue to show their support, public opinion remains unfavorable due to his accumulated unlikable image.
Lee Hwi-jae will return to domestic broadcasting after about four years through a special episode of KBS2's Unforgettable Songs, "2026 entertainment industry king of entertainers," airing on the 28th.
He could be seen in a preview released at the end of the broadcast on the 21st. Lee Hwi-jae, who took the stage wearing a suit, looked nervous, his lips seemingly drying up. In particular, in a scene where he touched his glasses, the area around his eyes looked moist as if he were about to burst into tears. Lee Hwi-jae greeted the audience, saying, "I will greet you after a long time. Nice to meet you. I am Lee Hwi-jae."
Fellow entertainers also came forward to support Lee Hwi-jae's return. Yoon Hyung-bin said, "I may not know everything, but at least the senior I have known was a good person. So many people say otherwise that I wonder if there is something I don't know. But he was always a good person both privately and on broadcasts. Please support him," asking for support, and Sayuri also supported Lee Hwi-jae, saying, "The older brother I know was warm and considerate, took good care of the guests, and was like a neighborhood older brother who was not at all arrogant. It pains me every time I see comments by people who have neither met him nor know him well acting as if they know everything about his character."
In particular, the lunchbox support arranged to cheer on Lee Hwi-jae, who is returning after a long absence, was reported to have been organized by the former production staff of The Return of SUPERMAN, who shared in his glory. Because Lee Hwi-jae played a large role in the process of the show starting as a pilot, becoming a regular program, and turning into a long-running show, the former production staff appeared to provide lunchbox support out of their desire to cheer on his comeback.
While fellow entertainers rushed to support and defend Lee Hwi-jae's return, public sentiment is cold. This opinion can be seen immediately on the Unforgettable Songs viewer bulletin board. Viewers criticized the public broadcaster for opening the door to the return of Lee Hwi-jae, who suspended activities amid various controversies, and some oppose his comeback by comparing him to Yoo Seung-jun, MC MONG, and Shin Jung-hwan.
The reason the public reacts so coldly to Lee Hwi-jae's return, despite him not being a criminal, lies in the unlikable image he has built up over time. Once a top MC comparable to Kang Ho-dong and Yu Jae-seok, his old-fashioned hosting style, which lagged behind the times, and his tendency to generate laughs by belittling guests created discomfort. Added to this was a family controversy that stamped him with an unlikable label, and even though Lee Hwi-jae did not commit illegal acts, he came to be evaluated on the same level as entertainers who caused social uproar.
Ultimately, to live up to the support he has received and to turn around the turned-away public opinion, Lee Hwi-jae has no choice but to show genuinely changed words and actions. He must prove to his colleagues that the "senior" and "colleague" they admired was not wrong, and he has reached an important point where he must show a changed Lee Hwi-jae to the cold public.
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