BLACKPINK's Jennie has shared some welcoming and surprising news, announcing her return to a regular variety show appearance after two years.
Jennie will join the fixed case of MBC's new variety program, 'The Secret Friends Club,' which premieres on February 1 at 6:10 PM. This marks her first regular variety show role since tvN’s 'Apartment 404' in 2024, making it a two-year gap since her last fixed entertainment program.
Produced by TEO, the production company led by star producer Kim Tae Ho, 'The Secret Friends Club' is a reality variety show centered on anonymously delivering gifts while concealing one’s identity.
Jennie previously worked with Kim Tae Ho on JTBC’s 'My Name Is Gabriel,' appearing in Episodes 13 and 14 last year. At the time, she spent 72 hours living the life of a woman her age named “Maria,” running a farm stay near Rome, Italy, which helped solidify their professional connection.
The cast of 'The Secret Friends Club' consists of five members: Jennie, former UDT soldier Dex, mixed martial artist Choo Sung Hoon, MC Noh Hong Chul, and comedian Lee Soo Ji.
In the show, the five cast members go about their daily lives until they receive mysterious invitations that bring them into the Secret Friends Club. The program begins with an individual competition inspired by the classic “manitto” game, where participants deceive one another about their identities and engage in psychological mind games. As they secretly prepare gifts for someone else, the cast experiences unexpected excitement and joy through the act of giving.
After the individual rounds, the show transitions into “Secret Manitto,” where the members unite as a team to create a special day for even more people. As small, personal gestures grow into large-scale group events, the program promises both hearty laughter and heartfelt moments.
Jennie first ventured into variety shows in 2018 as a fixed cast member on SBS’s 'Village Survival, the Eight.' More recently, she has also been announced as a special panelist for 'Transit Love 4,' further signaling her active return to entertainment programs.
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