Kim Jong-kook’s wedding sparks calls for married stars to leave SBS’ ‘My Little Old Boy’
From left, Kim Jong-kook, Kim Jong-min, Lee Sang-min, and Kim Jun-ho / Xportsnews
Viewers are once again calling for married cast members to leave SBS’ popular variety show “My Little Old Boy” after singer Kim Jong-kook revealed his surprise wedding.
On the episode that aired Aug. 17, the show celebrated its ninth anniversary with a special appearance by actor Jung Il-woo as a guest MC. Host Shin Dong-yup introduced him by saying, “Thanks to our mothers and sons, we’ve reached our ninth year, and today we have an actor mothers will love the most.”
Jung entered holding a cake, and before blowing out the candles, Shin expressed his hope that “‘My Little Old Boy’ will continue for a long time, even until its 50th anniversary.”
A scene from "My Little Old Boy" / Captured from SBS
During the broadcast, Shin also joked that 2025 has been a “year of weddings” for the show, noting that six regular cast members — Lee Sang-min, Kim Jun-ho, Kim Jong-min, Bae Sung-jae, Eun Ji-won and Jung Suk-yong — have all announced their marriages. Shin added humorously, “For the 10th anniversary, I hope we’ll have good news from Seo Jang-hoon.”
Kim Jong-kook / Xportsnews
However, just a day later on Aug. 18, Kim Jong-kook shocked fans by announcing his own marriage, coinciding with his 30th debut anniversary. While fans flooded his social media with congratulations, the news reignited controversy over whether married cast members should remain on a program originally designed to feature the daily lives of unmarried men observed by their mothers.
On Aug. 19, Xportsnews exclusively reported that SBS has no plans to remove Kim Jong-kook from the show, intensifying debate among viewers. Kim Jong-min, who got married in April, and other married members such as Lee Sang-min and Kim Jun-ho have also continued appearing on the program despite similar criticism.
Some viewers argue that the presence of married cast members contradicts the show’s original concept. With Kim Jong-kook now joining the ranks of married cast members, complaints are mounting on online forums and social media, with comments such as, “Why don’t they leave after getting married?” “They should rename the program,” and “I only want to see unmarried cast members.”
This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.