On May 7, the first episode of comedian Lee Eun Ji’s talk show was uploaded to YouTube. The episode featured guests including rapper Swings, Oh My Girl’s Mimi, and broadcaster Kim Dae Ho.
During the conversation, Lee Eun Ji asked Mimi when she first started making what felt like “real money.”
Mimi responded honestly: “Starting from our first settlement, I was already in the negative.”
She went on to explain the financial reality many girl groups face after debuting. “Girl groups require a lot of money. There are huge expenses involved, and unless you become very successful, it’s common to remain in the negative,” she said.
Mimi added that because she had very few solo activities early on, her first meaningful personal income did not come from idol promotions but from YouTube.
According to Mimi, viewers began enjoying her relaxed vlogs and daily-life content, which eventually generated revenue through views.
“I started earning money for the first time through YouTube views from my vlogs and everyday content,” she shared.
“To me, it was a huge amount of money. Even now, it still feels significant, so YouTube is something very meaningful and precious to me.”
Mimi debuted with Oh My Girl in 2015 and has steadily expanded her popularity through variety show appearances and online content. Since 2019, she has operated her personal YouTube channel 밈PD, which currently has over 547,000 subscribers.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스