Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto appeared on the live distribution of the Internet distribution service “DOWNTOWN+,” which began distribution on January 1, and made his return after an absence of about 1 year and 10 months since the announcement of his hiatus in January 2024. Photo: Hitoshi Matsumoto making his return “His face” and “Those eyes…” The public had been watching to see when and where he would make his return, and what Matsumoto chose was not television or theater, but a live broadcast on his own distribution service. Matsumoto suspended his entertainment activities from January 8 of last year to concentrate on preparing for his trial with the weekly magazine, but announced on November 8 of the same year that he was dropping the lawsuit. Initially, it was expected that he would return this spring, but he made a full return on this day, following the production staff’s belief that he would make full preparations and create the best work possible. Hamada, who has been a lone voice for Downtown in Matsumoto’s absence, suspended his activities on March 10 due to health problems, but returned on May 2, and since October 19, his first solo exhibition, “Masanori Hamada Exhibition: Flying Clouds Across the Sky,” has been held at Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo. All eyes are on the duo to see how they will resume their activities together.
The Hochi Shimbun