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The story
A scene from “Kono Toki.” (This Moment.), the behind-the-scenes documentary for the streaming service DOWNTOWN+, was released as an official YouTube Short and has become a hot topic. While talking about the smoking habits of junior comedians, Matsumoto Hitoshi let slip, “I’ve got cancer, you know,” prompting Kendo Kobayashi to laugh and fire back, “‘Had,’ you mean,” while Kukkii! chimed in with “Isn’t that old news?” — the exchange drew a big reaction. On 5ch’s Geisuto Sokuho+ (celebrity/sports news) thread, some praised how snappy the back-and-forth was, while others pointed out that the humor doesn’t come across in text, and opinion was split on whether joking about cancer is okay.
A scene from “Kono Toki.” (This Moment.), the behind-the-scenes documentary following the streaming service DOWNTOWN+ (Downtown Plus), was released as a short video on the official YouTube channel.
As Downtown’s Matsumoto Hitoshi talked about the smoking habits of junior comedians, his light-hearted exchange with TV personality Kendo Kobayashi and Yasei Bakudan’s Kukkii! struck a chord online.
It happened before the August 15 live stream of “OIU (Owarai Teikoku University),” while Matsumoto was chatting casually with Kendo Kobayashi and Kukkii!.
Source: sirabee.com / original article here
What people said
It's not even lung cancer though.
There are actually three types of lung cancer, and smoking only accounts for a few percent of cases among them, you know.
Are there even still places you can smoke indoors these days?
Yeah, Shinagawa Station and Chubu Centrair Airport both had them.
Ever since he hit 40 he's gotten lamer every year.
I bet deep down he's thinking 'this isn't funny at all.'
Sounds like they're pretty tight lol
What a heartwarming scene, cracked me up.
He used to act like he couldn't stand anything crooked.
Yeah, fair enough.
It's basically like caregiving at this point, but it still looks bad on him somehow.
Then again, Matsumoto really does seem determined to bring on big-name acts no matter the cost to their image. He already had Chidori on, so who's next — Hanamaru Daikichi or Fujii Takashi?
Kind of a 'if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me' vibe.
Says a lot about his character.
Wada Akiko quit too.
I really don't get how their mindset works.
Re: #55
If you genuinely feel your life is on the line, you can quit both drinking and smoking.
Once your health is wrecked, you can't focus on anything and nothing's fun anymore.
Wasn't the punchline supposed to be, if he'd died, 'It's a joke — guess the guy who doesn't get the joke is the real fool'?
Wait, is Hamata a total masochist?
If it comes back, the survival rate drops to just a few percent — a pretty hopeless situation.
Only after five recurrence-free years can you actually say, past tense, that you 'had' cancer.
Isn't this just an inside joke among themselves?
Honestly, Matsu-chan's lines aren't even that funny when you transcribe them.
He just multiplies the humor several times over with his tone of voice, timing, and facial expressions.
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
The recurring question in the thread — whether Matsumoto’s cancer is “old news” — actually has a medical benchmark behind it. In cancer treatment, it’s commonly held that if there’s no recurrence within five years after surgery, the case is considered “cured”; Matsumoto Hitoshi’s case is still in that observation period. As one commenter in the thread pointed out, “if it recurs, the survival rate drops to just a few percent” — so there’s a gap between the casual phrase “old news” and the reality that the long-term outcome isn’t settled yet. Another point of debate was the link between smoking and lung cancer: lung cancer comes in several different types, and as some commenters noted, smoking is only responsible for a portion of them. In the end, the thread’s reactions split over how to reconcile joking about smoking with the seriousness of cancer itself.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisuto Sokuho+) thread “Matsumoto Hitoshi: “When I get juniors together at karaoke boxes, they all smoke” / “I’ve got cancer, you know!” — Kendo Kobayashi’s “sharp comeback” draws reaction.”
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