Hip-hop musician and entertainer Gill appeared on a March 19 episode of MBC variety show “Infinite Challenge,” breaking a two-year hiatus prompted by a drunk driving incident.

Gill, who became a member of “Infinite Challenge” in 2009, left the program in April 2014 after he was caught driving under the influence. His brief appearance on “Infinite Challenge” on March 19 showed him as one of the judges on Mnet’s hip-hop competition “Show Me the Money” season five, which is set to air in May.

Although his screen appearance was less than five minutes, it was enough to spark controversy over whether Gill and Noh Hong-chul, another former cast member of “Infinite Challenge,” should be allowed to return to the popular television program.  

Entertainer Noh was one of the original members of the program from its early seasons, along with Yoo Jae-suk and Jeong Hyeong-don. He left the program in November 2014 for the same reason as Gill. Noh returned with MBC’s pilot variety show “Lazy hitchhikers’ Tour de Europe” in September, after 10 months away.

The online message board of “Infinite Challenge” was soon full of posts debating whether Gill and Noh should be allowed to return to the popular show. While most seemed to want the two disgraced stars back, there were also those opposed to their return.

Some of the show’s viewers said the pair have waited long enough, considering other stars have also returned to the entertainment scene after similar incidents. Others claimed that it was premature for them to come back to the show.

Such controversy often has a negative impact on viewership ratings.

Take for instance comedian Kim Yong-man, who had returned to work about three years after he was found to be gambling. He appeared on cable channel O tvN’s variety show “Useful Men” and tvN’s “Let Me Home,” but both programs were scrapped after two months due to low ratings.

Comedian Lee Soo-geun, who returned to the entertainment scene in 2015, about two years after he was found to be gambling, has also struggled as his shows have had low ratings and garnered negative comments from viewers.

“It’s hard to find such qualified entertainers due to the tiny pool of entertainers,” explained popular culture critic Ha Jae-keun, pointing out that the lack of sufficient talent as the reason stars embroiled in controversies continue appearing on TV shows.

“Expanded platforms due to the growing number of cable channels plays an important role as well,” added Ha.

No clear guidelines

The controversy among viewers often focuses on the length of time the celebrities have spent off the screen in supposed repentance. 

However, there is no clear guideline on how long they should wait before returning to the public eye.

“When to return depends primarily on the gravity of the offense, considering the precedents,” explained SBS producer Jeong Jun-gi.

Professor Park Keun-young, who teaches pop culture studies at Yonsei University, explained that it has become common practice for stars to return after a certain period of “repentance” considered sufficiently long based on precedents.

The length of the break depends on the offense. On average, stars guilty of drunk driving waited 6.6 months to make their comeback. Those who were caught gambling waited 1.3 years, while those who were found to have abused drugs waited two years. Those caught for violence, evasion of military service and sexual assault returned after 2.6 years, 3.4 years and 6.3 years, respectively, according to data released in December 2013 by data communication group News Jelly.

However, some stars are able to make their return earlier, “when the public’s desire to see them seems to outweigh negative comments,” said Jeong, adding that everything depends on viewers.

Viewers’ judgment

Viewership ratings reveal that stars who have fallen from grace are mostly not welcomed back with open arms.

Their appearance on shows often attracts negative comments that hone in on the sincerity of the stars’ repentance, as indicated by the length of their period of “self-restraint.”

However, professor Park argued the length of the “repentance” period does not play a critical role in the successful return to the fore of stars. Their attitudes are also viewed as an indicator of the sincerity of their remorse, he said. 

Take for instance Kim Gu-ra, who left all programs he was on in 2012 after being criticized for making demeaning remarks concerning former Japanese military sex slaves on an internet broadcasting show. He was welcomed when he returned to TV with tvN’s “Live Talk Show Taxi” after about four months.

“Kim Gu-ra had a relatively long period of repentance compared to precedent cases. Moreover, he volunteered at the House of Sharing (a facility for former sex slaves), and got an award from the facility,” said producer Jeong, adding that this was the reason the public viewed his repentance as sincere.

For a successful return, stars have to either wait long enough or put in additional efforts that viewers consider “sufficient,” added Jeong. 

“Of course, they need to show their power as entertainers, otherwise there’s no reason for the viewers to welcome their appearance on TV shows,” said the critic Ha.

By Jung Eun-jin (jej2403@heraldcorp.com)