A former dedicated manager for a top star has blown the whistle on the entertainment industry’s dark underbelly in a YouTube interview. Identifying themselves as the manager of a "10-million-ticket" actor, A claimed that managers routinely went far beyond scheduling to act as shields, taking on celebrities’ risks in their place.
On April 22, the YouTube channel All About Jobs uploaded a video titled 'A Famous Celebrity’s Manager Exposes the Industry’s Reality.' The first bombshell A dropped was the so-called 'taking the blame' practice. A said, "When a major scandal breaks, like a DUI, managers sometimes step forward and say 'I did it' in place of the real person, then receive money in return." What sounds like a movie plot, A claimed, has repeatedly happened in real life.
A also raised the issue of proxy prescriptions for medication. They said they had once picked up prescription drugs on a celebrity’s behalf and even kept the related KakaoTalk chat records. However, those materials were not disclosed in the video. The claim is fueling controversy, especially as proxy prescriptions have recently become a hot-button social issue.
A further criticized how some agencies surveil their managers. "The company would comb through the car’s dashcam logs, and I even found a phone recording inside the vehicle," A said, alleging the goal was to check what managers were saying about the artist or the company. According to A, managers end up living under constant surveillance in this structure.
Testimony about corporate entertainment culture followed. A said, "There were times celebrities went to nightlife-style venues. The on-site managers often had to wait outside rather than enter the room." Higher-ups or executives frequently joined those gatherings, A added, recalling that they would get a call to pick the celebrity up when it was over.
When shoots were at risk of running late, A confessed to taking extreme driving risks. Recalling a time when a police car tailed them with sirens blaring on the Gyeongbu Expressway’s bus-only lane, A admitted, "Getting caught by the police was less scary than getting scolded by the star." It underscored the intense pressure individual managers shoulder.
Above all, A pointed to a power imbalance as the reason these practices stay hidden. "Top-tier stars wield so much influence that if you try to go public, you risk being unable to work in the industry again — and you might even become the one attacked," A said. The fear that even a news report can be buried, A added, keeps managers silent.
The interview is drawing attention for targeting not just one person’s misconduct but the entertainment industry’s distorted power structure and blame-shifting system. Still, as much of it is based solely on A’s testimony, key facts will require further verification and responses from those involved.