Television personalities in Japan

Television personalities in Japan, known as tarento (タレント; derived from Portuguese talento) in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows.

Careers

Japanese television programs often feature these media personalities. Many, sometimes dozens at a time, are called in to take part in these prime time shows. Their participation in these programs varies greatly and includes performing, voicing opinions, mimicking fellow celebrities in a practice called monomane, taking part in game shows, joking or just being present for the entire duration of the show (known as being part of the "gallery").

While it is very common for tarento to appear in serious Japanese television drama or movies, they are distinguished from mainstream actors by the fact that, where an actor might go on variety television to advertise their latest venture, tarento often appear on variety shows with no apparent promotional agenda outside of a personal one.

Often, tarento, whether men or women, have notoriously short career spans (around one or two years) and their earning capabilities are not as high as popularly imagined. The vast majority make just enough to maintain a middle-class lifestyle in Tokyo, Japan's media capital. This is because their talent agencies take a majority share of their earnings for the appearances that they make on TV. Part of the money given up by the tarento is to pay for initial support the agencies gave them in terms of free housing, financial stipends, and promotion of that person. These cuts can sometimes be as much as 90%. However, their work achieves social prominence (and all the associated benefits) and a successful tarento career can be the launching point for a career as movie actor or even political figure.