Idol Who Was Bullied By Her Members Gets Sweet, Sweet "Revenge"

A former Japanese idol who was allegedly bullied by her team mates is now doing better than ever.

_onodela_69705982_172031703958169_2294173950519210441_n — Onodela in 2019 | *@_onodela/Instagram*

In 2019, Onodela Popko from Asterisk East went viral in Japan after a video of her cursing out her members was released. She was seen interrupting their stage in street clothes before announcing her departure from the group. She put up her middle finger while recounting the bullying she faced behind the scenes.

I’m Onodela Popuko, and today is my last day with this group…I’m an adult and I don’t wanna be involved with behavior like this. I experienced stuff like this in high school—seeing it play out here is appalling. It was only a week but I enjoyed being an idol. Thank you, everybody!

In 2021, Onodela reacted to her viral video. She was ready to share what she had been up to in life since leaving the group.

That video occasionally goes viral on TikTok. People have said, ‘Don’t let that be the high point of your life.’ That’s always in the back of my mind, so I’m letting you know what I’ve been up to.

— Onodela

_onodela_356954623_240170925459572_8075348640315486933_n — Onodela Now | *@_onodela/Instagram*

Needless to say, she is much happier now—and more successful—than she ever was as an idol. The former idol became an outstanding student and employee in a hedge fund following her stint in the entertainment world. She attended Waseda University, one of Japan’s best, before moving on to the Haas Business School at the University of California, Berkeley.

She still posts photos of herself on her public Instagram account…

_onodela_439314247_974777467555696_7881055034352176406_n — | *@_onodela/Instagram*

…and talks to fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) regarding topics such as her graduation making the news. Commenting on the latter, she revealed that her parents still have no idea about her past as an idol.

I really wanna show my parents…but I didn’t want to worry them about my idol activities, so I still haven’t said anything.

— Onodela

Yahoo!ニュース！😳
とても両親に見せたい、、！けどそもそもアイドルやってたことすら心配させたくなくて未だに言ってないwww https://t.co/ZM6pTXC9ad

— 小野寺ポプコ (@_onodela) June 4, 2024

Asterisk East did not fare much as well in comparison. They broke up in December 2019, with member Kurobane Yuno moving on to another failed group, Peperin returned home to Hong Kong after the expiration of her visa, and the other members faded from the limelight.

Source: Unseen Japan