Comedian Natsuko Yokozawa Announces Pregnancy, Faces Challenge on Location

Feb 08, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - In the late-night broadcast of "Witness Variety Anta Watchman!" on TV Asahi on Tuesday, comedian Natsuko Yokozawa, who is also a mother of three, appeared and shared a touching episode from a location shoot she experienced while pregnant, which has garnered a significant response.

The show, featuring the comedy duos Sandwich Man and Untouchable, delves into the talents of established comedians and the comedy culture. In this episode, Yokozawa, who gave birth to her third child in June 2023 and has since returned to work, was invited to discuss balancing work and parenting.

During the conversation, she touched on an incident during her first pregnancy that served as a significant emotional support.

Reflecting on a location shoot in Hokkaido, Yokozawa said, "There's a time when you can't really tell people you're pregnant, right?" At that time, she had a shoot in Hokkaido. Given the location, seafood reporting was essential, but she couldn't eat raw food due to her pregnancy. Although her manager knew about her pregnancy, it was difficult to inform the staff.

After consulting with her manager, they decided to confide only in "Zakiyama," aka Hiroshi Yamazaki from Untouchable, who she was co-starring with on the shoot.

When Yokozawa approached Yamazaki and started with "I'm sorry, but actually..." he immediately understood, saying, "Yeah, I got it, it's all good," and "That's what it is, congratulations. I'm happy for you," showing his insight before she could even explain.

Yokozawa fondly recalled a scene where they were supposed to eat squid salted innards, and Yamazaki casually suggested, "Nacchan doesn't have to eat it," and even ate her portion, moving her deeply. "Ryosuke Ishihara (the other co-star) kept telling me to eat, but Yamazaki smoothly handled it. In the end, he said, 'I hope your baby grows up healthy.' I was so touched by how kind he was," she passionately expressed.

Yokozawa tearfully spoke about Yamazaki, saying, "He's truly an amazing person," "What a kind world," and "I think Zakiyama is a treasure of Japan, someone who will change our country."

This rare glimpse into Yamazaki's character resonated with viewers, prompting reactions like "Zakiyama is amazing! So cool!" "The fact that he understood everything from 'actually...' is just too awesome," and "I can't help but cry at Zakiyama's greatness, I couldn't focus on anything after that."

Source: MDPR

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