Yoo Jae-suk has finally explained the full story behind the first same-day recording cancellation of his 35-year career — and it was fear, not laziness.
The national MC opened up on “Churi Game Is Pinggyego,” released October 10 on the YouTube channel Ddeun Ddeun, about the incident last month when he canceled the recording of SBS’s “Ttukkeorira” due to a bad cold. According to the OSEN report, Yoo admitted he was terrified he might have COVID.
“I was honestly so surprised. I usually go to recordings no matter what — I push through even when I’m sick,” he said. “But this time my throat suddenly hurt so much, I had a slight fever, and I kept worrying — what if it’s COVID or the flu?” He added that he couldn’t even get his body up.
He explained why a same-day cancellation was unavoidable: the show requires meeting everyday applicants and moving around, unlike programs with fellow cast members where a schedule can simply be pushed. He went to the hospital that morning, didn’t feel confident, and had no choice.
Guest Song Eun-i joked she had thought “the nation’s mother collapsed,” making everyone laugh. Yoo apologized: “Hearing it was the first time in 30-some years made people think something serious happened. I’m sorry for unintentionally worrying everyone. My throat was swollen and my voice wouldn’t come out. I wondered, ‘Is it COVID?’ — I was scared. Otherwise I would have pushed through somehow.”
In the end it was neither COVID nor the flu, and he recovered after getting a shot that afternoon — which left him embarrassed to go out. “My wife told me, ‘Oppa, don’t go out now, rumors will spread,’” he laughed. When he called back asking if the recording could be rescheduled, everything had already been wrapped up.
His agency Antenna previously stated on September 22 that the recording was canceled due to a temporary high fever from a cold, and that he was focusing on recovery.
