Recently, tensions between stars and their agency heads have become increasingly public. While some artists are taking their disputes to court, others are airing their grievances in the form of half-jokes filled with sincerity on variety shows. Here are some of the sharpest jabs celebrities have taken at their CEOs.
Lee Jung-yeop, CEO of Woollim Entertainment, has been publicly called out by two celebrities. The first was Sunggyu of the group INFINITE. On a past broadcast, CEO Lee described Sunggyu as “timid”.
Sunggyu clapped back, saying, “Honestly, the CEO is more timid than I am.” On another variety show, he joked “I’m so exhausted. I haven’t slept for three days—I’m thinking of suing the company”, blurring the line between humor and truth.
Tukutz of Epik High also took a jab at CEO Lee. On a broadcast, he shared, “I once went to a Korean restaurant in LA. I asked if they had tempura shrimp, and CEO Lee scolded me—we had a big fight over it.”
Tukutz continued, “Right there, he said to me, ‘Hey, do you only think about yourself?’ I was just asking if they had tempura shrimp. How is that being selfish?” Other members tried to play it off, saying the CEO might have been worried someone would have to cook it separately, but Tukutz insisted, “It wasn’t even that deep.”
He added, “*I was just asking if tempura shrimp was on the menu. But before I even got an answer, I was accused of being selfish. It made me feel like a terrible person.*”
Tablo chimed in, recalling, “*Back then, Tukutz walked out. I had to go calm him down and bring him back.” Tukutz added, “Even after I came back in, he kept at it. I got so annoyed, I drank a ton of soju.*”
Both Epik High and INFINITE were once under Woollim Entertainment. Epik High signed with the then-new label in October 2003 and debuted that same month. INFINITE debuted as Woollim’s first idol group in June 2010.
Another star who called out her agency CEO is YooA from Oh My Girl. Born on September 17, 1995, YooA shares a birthday with her company CEO. She openly expressed her disappointment about this coincidence on the show “No Prepare”.
YooA revealed, “*Since we have the same birthday, I sometimes send the CEO a birthday text. But he never sends me one. It’s my birthday too—why am I the only one doing the congratulating?*”
Although host Lee Young-ji tried to calm her down, the public sympathized with YooA’s position, commenting, “*Wouldn’t it be nice if they celebrated each other?”, “It only takes one simple message. Is that so hard?*”
In the past, criticizing agency heads was considered taboo in the highly hierarchical Korean entertainment industry. But as times change, celebrities are increasingly confident in speaking out, gaining public support in the process. There is growing hope for a culture where mutual respect between agencies and artists becomes the norm and fosters mutual growth.