JTBC variety show's cast member faces backlash from netizens over his father's allegedly racist prank

JTBC's show's cast member, Julian, faced backlash from netizens after a clip from the variety show Where Is My Friend's Home was uploaded on the internet.

The video was initially posted on JTBC Voyage's official YouTube channel on May 29, 2020. However, the backlash resurfaced when a blogging site posted the video on July 19, 2022.

According to netizens, the video has shown racism and discrimination. It was shot in a setting where the show's cast, Julian Quintart's family, was sitting with the entire cast in his home in Belgium.

In one clip, Julian's father suddenly asked comedian Yoo Se-yoon to come with him to the kitchen with no cameras. Following that, the comedian came out of the kitchen wearing a maid's costume.

After that, everyone seemed to be laughing at the prank. Julian's father disclosed that he had purchased the costume from a carnival just for fun. After the video was posted, the reaction of the cast was perceived as racist and discriminatory because of the controversial implication of the maid dress, according to netizens.

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JTBC variety show's cast faces backlash for maid costume prank

A still from variety show Where Is My Friend's Home (Image via YouTube/JTBC)

Korean netizens had different views about the clip where Yoo Se-yoon is wearing the costume. Netizens expressed that Julian's family's prank was racist and discriminatory. This is because the symbolism behind the maid costume is that of physical violence.

Many even pointed out that east Asian men also go through discrimination for being feminine, which only added to one of the reasons the clip has received criticism.

Korean netizen reactions on a clip from JTBC Show (Image via YouTube/JTBC)

In the YouTube video's comment section, Korean netizens had these reactions as, translated by Google:

As per user 달걀:

“You're doing this really casually even after appearing on TV... It's amazing in a sense.. The way you took it for granted and thinks it's okay... It's shocking...”

As per user 마미라떼:

“Tyler was surprised that it could be racism. But Yoo Se-yoon seems to be enjoying it too, so it's only then that he smiles. Tyler is good at being attentive and has a normal way of thinking. As a viewer, I look for Tyler's expression when everyone is smiling in scenes that are difficult to see. Tyler had the same expression as me, so I got psychological comfort.”

As per user 2021:

“It's weird to think that it is not racist. Belgium has a long history of racism, so why don't you want your son to dress like that? Is that what you would do to a guest from another country? so crazy.”

Comments on the video have shown that JTBC's video was not well received by Korean citizens as the comments mentioned that the cast was acting racist on camera and at that stage, it was intriguing.

Where Is My Friend's Home (Image via YouTube/JTBC)

One viewer also expressed how the cast perceived what they were doing was appropriate and amusing. One netizen added that they were not even sure why Julian's father had initially purchased a maid costume.

The said viewer also mentioned that none of them perceive that being racist is particularly strange, given the lengthy history of racism in Belgium. They stated that the father ought to have forced his own son to wear the outfit if he genuinely wanted to make people laugh.

The person then asked about why would he do this to a visitor from another country. Another added:

“STOP RACISM.”

The clip also received reactions from netizens stating it might just be a prank and not purposefully discriminatory. Some also mentioned that in the JTBC video, it doesn't seem that Yoo Se-yoon got offended by the joke. One viewer even noted:

"It was really funny performance when he wore waitress dress.”

Many also expressed that the scene in the clip might even be scripted, and this should be something the production crew should be responsible for. There has been no clear stance on the issue that has been shared, and many hope that there will be a proper explanation and apology for the incident that was termed racist by many.