fromis_9's Chaeyoung Just Roasted Herself on Radio Star

When fromis_9 member Lee Chaeyoung appeared on MBC's Radio Star on April 1, 2026, as part of the show's "충성 유발자" (loyalty-inducing) special, she arrived with a very specific piece of viral baggage — and she handled it with a self-awareness that immediately won over the audience. Chaeyoung had, by her own admission, started a nickname about herself that had since taken on a life far beyond her original intentions.

Radio Star, which has been one of South Korea's most enduring celebrity talk formats since 2007, assembled a guest lineup for the special that included veteran singer Chaeyeon, actress Cho Gab-kyung, model and TV personality Go Woori, and fromis_9's Chaeyoung. The episode aired the same night it was uploaded to MBC Entertainment's YouTube channel, and the clip of Chaeyoung's segment circulated widely on social media within hours.

The Nickname She Started Herself

The nickname in question — "상견례 문전박대상" (roughly translated as the "award for getting turned away at the in-laws' door") — originated from comments that accumulated on social media after Chaeyoung performed her solo single "Short Skirt." Viewers joked that despite finding her attractive, she was the type that potential mothers-in-law might not immediately approve of — a reflection of her bold, confident stage image rather than anything about her actual personality.

What Chaeyoung revealed on Radio Star is that she was the one who first started using the phrase publicly. She had seen the comment thread, found it funny, and responded with something like, "Wait, am I not 'no mother-in-law approved'?" — a self-deprecating acknowledgment that then spread across fan communities and comment sections until the nickname became essentially official. She had not expected the response to grow as large as it did.

On Radio Star, Chaeyoung described the evolution of the nickname with visible amusement, noting that the comments on her "Short Skirt" stages had become completely saturated with variations of the phrase. Rather than distancing herself from the label, she leaned into it. She also revealed that the image — edgy, confident, not immediately grandmother-approved — had actually worked in her favour professionally, helping her land villain and tough-character roles in various projects.

The studio guests reacted with genuine warmth to this revelation. Veteran singer Chaeyeon, who has her own considerable reputation as a bold performer, noted that there is real value in owning a strong image rather than softening it for conventional approval — a perspective that clearly resonated with Chaeyoung's own experience.

Chaeyeon, Chaeyoung, and the Dance Initiation 2026

The episode's other major talking point was the "댄스 신고식 2026 ver." (Dance Initiation 2026 version) — a performance segment that brought together Chaeyeon and Chaeyoung to recreate the classic "dance initiation" tradition that Chaeyeon herself participated in years ago during her "X-Man" era.

Chaeyeon is something of a cultural institution in South Korean entertainment. She was one of the most popular female artists among military audiences during her peak years — earning the "군통령" (military queen) title — and she has spoken candidly in the past about how that era shaped her career and finances. On the April 1 Radio Star episode, Chaeyeon revisited her "X-Man" days with characteristic energy, noting how intimidating it was to perform the dance initiation under the scrutiny of MC Yoo Jae-suk, who she spent much of the time trying to avoid making eye contact with.

Pairing Chaeyeon with Chaeyoung for the 2026 version of the segment created an interesting generational contrast — the original "dance queen who charmed the military" alongside a current fourth-generation idol whose stage persona is built on a completely different kind of confidence. The performance segment drew strong reactions from the studio audience and from viewers who posted about it after the broadcast.

fromis_9 and Chaeyoung's Rising Profile

For viewers less familiar with fromis_9, the Radio Star episode offered a useful introduction to one of the group's most distinctive members. Chaeyoung has been increasingly visible outside the group context, appearing in solo projects and variety content that has helped build her individual fanbase.

fromis_9 — a nine-member girl group that debuted in 2018 through Mnet's "Idol School" competition program — has remained active through multiple member transitions and label changes, establishing a loyal fanbase that has followed the group across different configurations. Chaeyoung's ability to hold her own on a show like Radio Star, alongside performers significantly more senior to her, reflects both personal charisma and a confidence that comes from years of experience on stage and screen.

The "Short Skirt" solo performance that sparked the nickname discussion is itself a notable piece of the Chaeyoung narrative — a bold, independent image that reads as a deliberate expansion beyond the group's established identity. The Radio Star appearance reinforced that the image is authentic rather than manufactured: she seems genuinely comfortable with it, and genuinely amused by the cultural conversation it has generated.

The Reaction and What It Reveals About Idol Culture

The response to the Radio Star clip points to something interesting about how K-pop audiences engage with idol personas in 2026. The "상견례 문전박대상" joke works because it plays on the tension between stage image and social acceptability — between the bold, boundary-pushing aesthetics of current K-pop and the more conservative approval frameworks that remain culturally present in Korean society.

Chaeyoung's willingness to acknowledge that tension directly, and to find humour in it rather than deflecting, is precisely the kind of authenticity that variety show audiences respond to. Radio Star, as a format, has always rewarded guests who bring genuine personality rather than polished PR responses — and Chaeyoung clearly understood the assignment.

The episode also generated discussion about Chaeyeon's legacy, with younger viewers discovering or rediscovering her "군통령" era and the particular cultural moment it represented. In this sense, the Radio Star special accomplished what good variety programming often does: it created genuine connections between guests of different generations and gave audiences something real to take away from the hour.

The April 1, 2026 episode of MBC Radio Star is currently available on the MBC Entertainment YouTube channel.