Yoo Jae-seok, the nation's most popular comedian and TV presenter, will reportedly bow out of several TV variety shows he has been hosting for years amid declining viewer rates.
Yoo, dubbed as "emcee of the nation", will not extend his contract with SBS TV for its "Family Outing" variety show, a local daily reported. His contract expires in January.
However, an SBS representative said that nothing had been decided yet.
"It's true that Yoo has talked with the SBS staff about an extension of the contract. But nothing has been determined yet", the representative was quoted as saying by another media source.
Yoo has led the show since June, 2008, when the Sunday primetime program was launched.
It has been rumored that he will also quit MBC TV's "Infinite Challenge" show. But this has been denied by the program director.
Yoo, known as the most expensive entertainer, earned 940 million won ($783,000) from MBC last year, the largest amount among MBC entertainers.
The viewer ratings of both "Infinite Challenge" and "Family Outing" have been sliding recently, while his rival comedian Kang Ho-dong's shows are drawing relatively higher viewer ratings.
유재석 `패떴' 하차?
`국민 MC'유재석이 시청률 하락 속에 자신이 수년간 진행해왔던 각종 프로그램에서 하차할 것이라는 보도가 연이어 나오고 있다.
국내의 한 신문은 목요일 유재석이 SBS의 버라이어티 쇼 `패밀리가 떴다'재계약을 하지 않을 것이라고 보도했다. 이 계약은 내년 1월 만료된다.
그러나 SBS의 한 관계자는 아직 아무것도 결정된 게 없다고 말했다.
그는 "유재석이 SBS 관계자와 계약 연장에 대해 논의한 것은 사실이지만 아직 결정된 게 없다"고 잘라 말했다.
유재석은 지난 해 6월 일요일 프라임타임에 방영되기 시작한 `패떴'을 처음부터 지금까지 계속 진행해 왔다.
