TOKYO (TR) – Maya Imamori, a 20-year-old former actress who was dumped from a popular superhero television series last year over an underage drinking scandal, has revealed she worked at a hostess lounge to make ends meet.
In her first YouTube video posted on October 8, Imamori addressed burning questions from the public regarding how she has been financially supporting herself since her abrupt exile from the entertainment industry.
“To be completely honest, I worked at a lounge for about four months,” Imamori confessed, referring to a type of Japanese nightlife establishment where women entertain male clients.
Papakatsu
Imamori explained she came forward to shut down malicious online speculation about her income. “People wondered how I was living normally without any entertainment work, and there were comments accusing me of doing papakatsu [compensated dating with older men], so I decided to just tell the truth,” she said, adding that she has since quit the lounge job.
The former gravure idol’s promising career came crashing down last November when her agency, Seju, terminated her contract for a “serious breach.” At the time, Imamori was starring as the franchise’s first-ever female Black warrior in TV Asahi’s “Number One Sentai Gojuger.”
Because the program targets a young audience, producers swiftly axed her over the underage drinking revelation, stating they “considered the gravity of the situation.” She was replaced by actress Kohaku Shida from episode 40 onward.
“I can’t just live off my savings forever”
Imamori, who made waves by winning the prestigious “Miss Magazine 2023” Grand Prix, shot down any hopes of a return to the glamorous world of gravure modeling.
“Since I debuted in gravure, part of me does want to return,” she explained in the video. “But as someone who left… it would be disrespectful to come back. So I will continue to choose the option of not returning.”
The disgraced starlet admitted she launched her YouTube channel out of financial necessity, bluntly stating, “I can’t just live off my savings forever.”
Her candid confession has drawn a wave of sympathetic reactions online, with commenters praising her honesty and noting that it was better to speak the truth than let unsavory rumors fester.
