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| Song Ji-hyo / Photo=DB |
Song joined Running Man as a regular cast member in 2010 and has remained with the show for 16 years, alongside Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Yang Se-chan and Ji Ye-eun. Her down-to-earth, unpredictable charm has earned her nicknames such as "Meong Ji-hyo" and "Rogue Ji-hyo," and she has at times served as the team's ace in various races.
But viewers voiced criticism after the special on the 8th, Run & Fun Company: Spin the Roulette, claiming Song's screen time amounted to barely 10 seconds.
Critics argued that in the roughly 90-minute episode Song mostly appeared in reaction shots and group cutaways, rather than taking an active, leading role. Some viewers continued airing complaints in the comments on Song's personal YouTube channel. Others cited what they called a passive on-screen demeanor and even demanded she voluntarily step down.
Some viewers said she looked unwell on camera. However, a YouTube clip released last month showed no abnormalities in her health checkup. At the time, Song said her lifestyle and eating habits had been irregular, but that the results were better than expected and she felt relieved.
Song also faced calls to leave the show in 2023. Back then, Yoo Jae-suk told the web variety show Pinggego that Ji-hyo works very hard. He recalled an episode when viewers commented, "Ji-hyo was unusually quiet today," which upset her—she said she should have tried harder. Yoo advised her not to dwell on it and to focus on doing better next week.
Song is reportedly not planning to leave Running Man. When she appeared on the YouTube channel Jo Dongari in November 2024, she said she didn't expect the show to run this long and that she had decided she wouldn't quit unless the production ended it. She added that she once thought people typically leave variety shows after a decade; at year 10 she had prepared herself to step away, but she kept going into an 11th year and beyond. That is how she's stayed with the program to date.
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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