Ike Nwala (37) was suspended from "Oha Suta" for bringing an underage "Oha Girl" to his home, even though he explained he did nothing indecent.
On August 28, it was announced that comedian Ike Nwala (37) had graduated from TV Tokyo's children's variety show "Oha Suta." Shukan Bunshun has learned that behind his sudden departure from the program, Nwala had brought an underage co-star, "Oha Girl," to his home, which became a problem.
Nwala got his breakthrough with his jokes that mix American jokes with fluent English and Japanese culture.
"He is a member of the comedy group Choshinjuku. Originally from Seattle, USA, he came to Japan to become a comedian because he was shocked by Japanese comedy he saw at a video store by chance. While working in the IT field at Goldman Sachs, a major foreign securities firm in the U.S., he taught himself the Japanese language and the arts, and then entered the entertainment industry. Currently, he is also active as an MC. He is a regular on several TV programs." (Sports Reporter)
Nwala's sudden "graduation" from "Oha Suta." TV Tokyo ostensibly explained that it was for "production reasons." Nwala himself announced on X (formerly Twitter), "I will be graduating from Oha Suta, which I have been a part of for about 7 years!! THANKS SO MUCH for your support so far!!" etc., but there was so little information that it led to speculation.
But... An "Oha Suta" insider reveals in a hushed voice.
Although it is ostensibly a "graduation" from the program, the reason for the resignation is not due to "production reasons. The direct cause is Nwala's own words and actions. In mid-July of this year, it was discovered that Nwala had taken "Oha Girl A," a minor who appeared on "Oha Suta," to his home unaccompanied by a guardian for the purpose of "consulting with her about her work." Moreover, this was not the first time Nwala had taken Ms. A to his home. As far as the program knows, he has brought her home five times since the beginning of this year, at a frequency of about once a month.
When Ms. A's parents learned of this, they complained to the program. Nwala was interviewed by his office,
Nwala apparently explained that he had been consulting with her about her work problems and that he had invited her to his home, but that he had not done anything indecent. (see above)
The agency and the program had held discussions, but "some parents (of the co-stars) said they did not want their children to appear in the same program, so it was decided to let them graduate" (see above).
When asked by TV Tokyo's Public Relations and Investor Relations Department whether it is true that Nwala invited Ms. A to his home and received protests from her parents, he replied, "We have no answer for you." As for whether or not this is the reason why Nwala is leaving the program,
he replied, "We do not answer questions about the production process of the program."
We also sent a letter of inquiry to Watanabe Entertainment, Nwala's agency, to confirm the facts. When we asked if it was true that he invited Ms. A to his home, he replied, "It is true that I invited her to my home for lunch because I would listen to any problems she had, but it was daytime, not late at night." When asked if the reason for Nwala's graduation was that he invited Ms. A to his home and received protests from her parents, he replied, "I heard that it was for the convenience of the program's production."
However, the aforementioned "Oha Suta" official testified confidently:
"We were told that Ms. A went to Nwala's home between 9:00 and 11:00 PM. Not only did he bring her in, but the time of day was at night, which is why the parents saw it as a problem."
Even if he was just consulting with Ms. A about her work at home, is there any problem with inviting a minor to one's home? Attorney Yoshikazu Arai of the Cresfort Law Office says, "The parents saw it as a problem because he was only consulting with Ms. A about her work at home."
"In the absence of parental consent, if it had been after 11:00 p.m., it could be in violation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Youth Protection and Nurturing Ordinance. Also, if they were taken around for a long period of time, they could be in violation of criminal law, such as kidnapping of a minor." (Watanabe Entertainment responded that they were "not aware of any violation (since it was daytime)" regarding the time Nwala invited Ms. A to his home.)
In the "Shukan Bunshun e-edition" currently being distributed, we report in detail on Nwala's detailed background, how Nwala invited "Oha Girl" A to his home, his inappropriate behavior toward another "Oha Girl" B, his surprising behavior revealed in the interview process, and his "SNS pick-up habit" as revealed by an acquaintance.
by DJChisato1 » Sat Aug 19, 2023 11:41 am 
