Watch enough Korean variety shows and you’ll notice the same scene on repeat. Casts tout their “family-like chemistry,” yet the actual lineup is overwhelmingly male—with one or two women barely holding a spot. On KBS2’s long-running 2 Days & 1 Night, the fixed cast has been all men from the first season to now. Over on SBS’s Running Man, Song Ji-hyo and Ji Ye-eun are the only women among a crowd of male regulars. tvN’s Amazing Saturday now has Taeyeon as the sole female regular after Park Na-rae and Haetnim (aka “Short-Mouth”) exited. The two women’s departure was backfilled by DAY6’s Young K—adding yet another man to an already male-heavy panel. That’s why growing talk of Kim Shin-young potentially joining JTBC’s Knowing Bros as a regular is drawing major attention.
JTBC said on the 11th, “Kim Shin-young recently joined a recording as a special transfer student, and whether she’ll become a regular is being discussed with an open mind.” If it happens, she would be the first female regular on Knowing Bros. In other words, the buzz around Kim isn’t just about a fresh face—it starkly exposes how rare female regulars are on Korea’s longest-running variety staples.
The numbers back it up. According to the Seoul YWCA’s ‘2020 Gender Equality Content Analysis Report’ for mass media, women made up just 31% of fixed regulars on variety/entertainment shows, while men accounted for 69%. Among main hosts, only 15% were women compared to 85% men—meaning women who do appear are often sidelined into supporting roles rather than steering the show.
More recent research says the same. A 2024 paper from the Korean Women in Communication Association analyzed 298 variety programs aired from January 2022 to June 2023: of 1,726 total cast members, only 33% were women compared to 67% men. Male stars were far more likely to take on key roles like MC, while women performed major roles at a significantly lower rate. So it’s not just that there are fewer women on screen—those who make it in are rarely allowed to anchor the show.
Why does this keep happening? First, the production playbook of Korean variety has long been cemented around men. Classic formats—group talk, slapstick, hierarchy games, roasting battles, outdoor variety—grew out of male entertainer networks. So when new shows are planned, producers instinctively reach for the “reliable male combos” first, with female casting tacked on later as a vibe-changer or a one-off highlight.
There’s also a harsher double standard for women. A male star’s edgy quip or over-the-top reaction gets praised as comic instinct, but women doing the same are often labeled “too much” or “off-putting.” They’re expected to be funny but not excessive, honest but never unlikeable—a tighter box that pressures producers to stick with male-centered lineups they consider safer.
The bigger problem? Audiences are getting tired of it. The same male-heavy combos, the same banter patterns, the same role divisions—viewers feel Korean variety’s relationship dynamics and humor beats have become overly familiar. Adding more female regulars isn’t just about balancing the gender ratio. It changes the air of the program, the texture of conversations, and the center of its storytelling. That’s why Kim Shin-young’s rumored move to Knowing Bros reads as more than a casting tidbit.
Kim recently appeared on MBC’s I Live Alone, proving her quick wit and steady hosting sense as a guest. If she does become a Knowing Bros regular, it could be a symbolic crack in the long-standing boys’ club—and a shift many viewers have been waiting for.