Description: A guest announcement on Japan’s Love it! on October 23, 2026 became a joke because the actor had arrived 108 minutes late to the same morning show four days earlier.
The laughter was a callback, not a new late arrival. TBS variety show Love it! (ラヴィット！) announced that Rinrin would return on Monday, October 26. On October 19, he had reached the studio at 9:48 a.m., 108 minutes after the 8 a.m. start and just seven minutes before the broadcast ended.
The nearly missed live appearance
Rinrin plays Zhou Haoran of the secret organisation Xinxi in season two of the Japanese espionage drama VIVANT. He was booked alongside castmate Ryu Kohata. Instead, the hosts explained that he had overslept, and traffic delayed him further. He finally entered, bowed repeatedly and apologised. He said he had prepared enthusiastically, even shaving his head to resemble his character, but struggled to sleep while thinking about the show. He subsequently posted a serious apology. It was a real disruption to a live production, not a confirmed staged prank.
Why the VIVANT references made it funny
VIVANT pits the covert intelligence unit Beppan against Xinxi. Host Akira Kawashima welcomed Rinrin by imitating protagonist Yusuke Nogi; Rinrin answered with a dark joke about his character’s interrogation scenes. He also joked that Blue Walker, a fictional hacker in the drama, had taken over his phone and interfered with the alarm. That was a story-world excuse, not a real hacking allegation. The contrast was the comedy: a formidable spy on screen, defeated by an alarm and rush-hour traffic off screen. Kohata even shared an electric-chair-style comedy penalty.
What happened in the October 23 preview?
Announcer Mako Tamura introduced October 26 guests Yusuke Hirayama, Ryo Tamaki and Rinrin. The preview replayed the earlier apology, promoted a Beppan-versus-Xinxi rhythm game and asked whether Rinrin could make the 8 a.m. start this time. Kawashima’s mock concern drew laughter. Japanese reports quoted viewers joking that merely arriving on time would earn applause or that he should sleep near the studio. These are documented individual reactions, not evidence of a worldwide viral trend.
Conclusion
A genuine 108-minute delay became the setup for a second appearance. October 26 had not aired when this account was checked. The most surprising opening might be the most ordinary: Rinrin already sitting in his chair at eight.
