Jo Se-ho is making his comeback. The veteran comedian announced a new YouTube channel on November 5, about 11 months after he stepped away from mainstream variety shows amid allegations of ties to an organized crime figure.
Ten Asia reported that Jo unveiled the channel, titled “How Would I Go If I Don’t Know” (모르는데 어떻게 가요), in an Instagram post on Wednesday, rebranding his existing channel “Sehoga Junggye” for a fresh start.
The name is a nod to the “professional absentee” (프로불참러) nickname that has followed him for years — a joke born from his answer when asked why he missed actor Ahn Jae-wook’s wedding: “How would I go if I don’t know.” For the new channel, Jo is flipping the gag on its head, presenting himself as a “professional attender” who will show up wherever viewers invite him.
In the announcement, Jo said he would attend any gathering viewers call him to — from hosting weddings, first-birthday parties and 70th-birthday celebrations to MCing company dinners, retreats and sports events, singing a song at karaoke, keeping drivers company as a storyteller, filling a spot at pickup soccer games, helping assemble furniture, or simply sharing a meal with someone eating alone. “Above all, I will greet you with fun and varied content so I can bring you even a little joy,” he wrote, asking fans for their interest and support.
Jo’s hiatus began in December last year, when he was swept up in allegations of acquaintance with a person identified as an organized crime figure, along with claims of money transfers and business ties. His agency acknowledged the acquaintance but denied the financial and business allegations, and Jo apologized, saying he should have been more careful about the people around him. He then voluntarily stepped down from his fixed spots on tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block” and KBS2’s “1 Night 2 Days.” He kept his seat on Netflix’s “Doraiver,” which is set to end after season 6, leaving him without a regular broadcast program.
The YouTube relaunch is his first new project since the controversy, and whether the “professional attender” concept can rebuild his mainstream standing remains to be seen.
