Former Hello! Project Idol Rio Kitagawa Debuts as Rookie TV Tokyo Announcer — 5ch: ‘Total Beauty Newscaster’

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The story

Rio Kitagawa, a former Hello! Project idol, has made her debut as a rookie announcer at TV Tokyo — and the news lit up 5ch’s Hello! Project board. While some posters declared her “a total beauty newscaster,” opinions split over her stiff announcer-style delivery, her outfits, and rumors of plastic surgery. Others brought up comparisons to former Morning Musume member Maria Makino, or dredged up a dating scandal from roughly two years ago, making for a thread that mixed praise with jabs in equal measure.

She’s basically a total beauty newscaster, right?

Source: video.twimg.com / Original article here

What people said

8AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:49
She was cuter back when she was an idol.
9AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:49
The hell is she wearing, lol
10AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:49
Guess she's got the devoted backing of that 'Asahi Net' jinx poster (5ch slang for someone whose support always backfires on the person they root for).
15AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:51
Re: #10
Meanwhile my favorite can't even land anything besides trashy late-night shows…
11AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:50
What's with that forced, put-on way of talking, lol
13AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:50
It's giving 'doing an impression of an announcer' vibes
14AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:51
The fact that it's already been a year since Rio-rio graduated [from the group]
23AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:53
She's used to wearing lame outfits from her Hello! Project days, so this is nothing for her.
24AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:54
Didn't expect her to end up bigger than Makino.
26AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:54
Already 2 years since the boyfriend scandal
Time flies way too fast
29AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:55
When you think about how washed up Nakanishi is these days, it really comes down to how hard you grind after leaving, huh…
34AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:59
Re: #29
Kitagawa was already working hard to become an announcer even before she quit the group.
30AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:55
Let's Look at the World Through Money! [Miss This and You're Behind the Times!?] 5 New Reiwa-Era 'Common Sense' Rules Special 🈑

Nov 17 (Tue) 23:06–23:55, TV Tokyo
Cast
MC: Osamu Hayashi Hosted by: Yui Fujii (TV Tokyo announcer)
Commentary: Toru Iketani (TV Tokyo Chief Commentator)
Guests: Ryo Fukawa, Maria Makino
Narrator: Yuko Takeda
33AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:58
Re: #30
Guess it's nice landing work thanks to Rio-rio.
39AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:04
Re: #30
Is this the first time Kitagawa's appeared solo on a TV Tokyo studio show since joining? Is there any chance she runs into her in-house?
31AnonymousNov 10, 2026 21:57
Even if her life goes sideways down the road, I've got this weird confidence she'll land a rich husband no matter what.
44AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:11
Re: #31
Eh, who knows — could go spectacularly wrong.
48AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:23
Apparently there's someone out there trying to land work at the very TV station where a former member they disliked enough to unfollow now works.
52AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:33
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HWw11WXaQAAPk-m.jpg:orig#.jpg
53AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:33
Her face is genuinely great.
But the personality, though…
60AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:49
Re: #53
For what it's worth, over in the TV Tokyo live-commentary thread, announcer Kitagawa's getting good reviews.
56AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:42
53 Name: Anonymous Wanted… [] Posted: 2026/11/10 (Tue) 22:33:26.41 0
Her face is genuinely great
58AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:46
People keep going on about Kitagawa's personality, but nobody's expecting squeaky-clean purity from an announcer, lol
59AnonymousNov 10, 2026 22:47
Makino's in the cheering section banging a taiko drum, Kitagawa's in the press box getting hit on by athletes — can Makino's nerves even handle that?

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

Rio Kitagawa is a former Hello! Project idol who, after stepping away from entertainment, pivoted to a career as a rookie announcer at TV Tokyo. It’s not unusual for former idols to move into broadcasting or journalism, and much of this thread’s interest stemmed from simple curiosity about “what happened to her after graduating.” Opinions split between posters who showed some understanding for the stiff speech patterns and outfits typical of a trainee announcer’s early days, and those whose comments leaned more toward picking apart her looks or spreading plastic-surgery rumors — the latter having little to do with her actual job performance. Several posts also dredged up a dating scandal from a few years back, showing how an ex-idol’s old private life can still follow her into evaluations of a new career — a reminder that a former idol’s “life after the group” isn’t always received as a straightforward success story.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Rookie Announcer Rio Kitagawa Is Too Beautiful!!.”

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