Did How Do You Play Really Drop Marry My Husband Star After Three Years? The Real Story
Social media rumors got it wrong: Marry My Husband star Lee Yi-Kyung wasn’t axed from How Do You Play / Hangout With Yoo — his agency Sangyoung ENT says he exited due to filming schedules, per Chosun Daily.
Quick update before the rumor mill spins itself into dust: Lee Yi-kyung was not kicked off 'Hangout with Yoo' (aka 'How Do You Play'). He chose to leave because his calendar turned into a Tetris nightmare, not because of that recent online mess.
What actually happened
Lee joined 'Hangout with Yoo' in 2022 and stuck with it for about three years. The problem? The show shoots every Thursday, and his film schedule bulldozed right through that. He has been on 'Generation Regret' since September and is about to roll into another movie, which means two films across roughly four months. That weekly shoot becomes a brick wall when you add travel and stacked call sheets.
His agency boiled it down to a very production-specific detail: he can stay on certain other shows because they only tape once a month. Weekly Thursdays are a different beast.
- 'I Am Solo' – staying on as fixed cast
- 'Brave Detectives' – staying on as fixed cast
What the show says
The production thanked him and said it was a mutual decision after he told them he could not juggle the workload anymore. They specifically mentioned he was struggling to balance the show with other commitments, including some overseas travel. In short: no drama, just logistics.
About those rumors
In the middle of all this, a German woman posted what she claimed were Lee Yi-kyung’s DMs from KakaoTalk and Instagram on a Naver blog. The screenshots spread fast because, of course they did, and the content was described as inappropriate. Then she walked it back and apologized, saying the messages were fabricated.
"The messages were manipulated using AI. I am truly sorry for spreading malicious rumors. I started with fan sentiment, but became overly emotionally involved. I feel guilty and will take responsibility if needed."
Lee’s agency filed a criminal complaint with the Seoul Gangnam Police Station for defamation and spreading false information. They also made it clear there are no settlement talks and no compensation offers coming, and that they will keep pursuing anyone who posts or amplifies this stuff.
Quick career refresher
Lee Yi-kyung debuted in 2012 with the film 'White Night' and has since shown up in a bunch of dramas, including 'My Love from the Star', 'Marry My Husband', and 'Face Me'.
Bottom line: his exit from 'Hangout with Yoo' is a scheduling headache, not a scandal boot. You will still see him on 'I Am Solo' and 'Brave Detectives', and he has two films crammed into a tight window. The AI-faked messages? Already in the hands of the police.