2PM's Nichkhun Reveals Diet After Weight Gain Shocks Fans on Variety Show

2PM's Nichkhun opened up about his recent weight gain and strict diet on SBS variety show "Now Wait, Really?" after fans reacted to his fuller appearance.

2PM's Nichkhun says he was shocked by his own appearance on television and immediately started dieting. The 38-year-old singer opened up about the change during a recent variety show appearance, after online chatter about his fuller look drew attention.

The full 2PM lineup, including Ok Taec-yeon, Nichkhun, Jang Wooyoung, Jun. K, and Hwang Chan-sung, appeared on the SBS show "Now Wait, Really?" (Ani Geunde Jinjja) on the 6th.

Host Boom set the tone early by pulling up an old photo from Nichkhun's "Prince of Thailand" era, joking that the singer had once shown up to a taping of variety show "Star King" looking exactly like that. Comedian Lee Su-ji reacted with a stunned "I can't handle this," while Jang Wooyoung added, "You're just overwhelmed by him."

Asked about his hardest moment as a trainee, Nichkhun pointed to the language barrier. When Tak Jae-hoon asked which member had helped him most, joking that people always learn curse words first when studying a new language, Nichkhun drew laughs with his answer. "None of the members taught me curse words," he said. "I learned them from 2AM's Im Seul-ong."

The conversation soon turned to Nichkhun's recent appearance. Tak Jae-hoon brought up a video that had circulated online showing the singer looking heavier than usual, saying Nichkhun had been stung by comments about it. Lee Sang-min jumped in with, "I've been wanting to ask this the whole time. Why the fuller look?" Lee Su-ji joked, "Watching the video, he felt closer somehow. Is he coming over to my side now?" Nichkhun had previously been the subject of online debate over his changed visuals.

Nichkhun explained the reason plainly. "I didn't have many schedules early in the year, so I went home to visit family and ate a lot," he said. "Then I watched myself on TV and thought, 'I really have gotten older.' It was a huge shock." He said he has since gone on a strict diet, adding, "I recently did concerts in Japan, and I only ate three eggs over three days."

Nichkhun debuted in 2008 as a member of 2PM under JYP Entertainment. A dual Thai and American citizen, he was known early in his career for the striking visuals that earned him the nickname "Prince of Thailand," and he quickly became one of the group's most popular members.