Hollywood star name-checks JTBC cooking variety show's star amateur chef ahead of 'Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Korea release
Jack Black has done a lot of weird things on Korean television.
Back in January 2016, the "School of Rock" star dropped by MBC's variety show "Infinite Challenge" while promoting "Kung Fu Panda 3" and fully committed to the bit — pulling pantyhose over his head for a candle-blowing race, stuffing his mouth in a marshmallow-eating contest, dancing to "Gangnam Style" with the cast. The episode is still remembered as one of the show's all-time best guest spots.
Ten years later, he might be back for more.
On Sunday, Black turned up in a surprise video message on JTBC's long-running cooking variety show "Chef & My Fridge" before that night's scheduled guests, "KPop Demon Hunters" director Maggie Kang and the animation's choreographer Lee Jung, took the stage.
"Hello Korea, and to the amazing team at 'Chef vs. Fridge,'" Black said in the prerecorded clip. That was before he singled out one specific person: Kim Poong, the web comic artist-turned-amateur cook who's become one of the show's biggest fan favorites.
"Chef Kim Poong's cooking style is a lot like mine — creative, bold and full of energy." The "Tenacious D" frontman went on, "I like watching people take what they have and turn it into something totally unexpected. That's what great cooking is all about."
Kim, visibly flustered, replied, "Hi Jack Black, I'm your big fan," before switching to Korean to invite him to come on the show in person.
"Chef & My Fridge" is a variety show built on one gimmick: Guests have their actual home refrigerators hauled into the studio, and a rotating panel of chefs has 15 minutes to whip up something impressive using only what's inside.
The show originally ran on JTBC from 2014 to 2019 before being revived in December 2024 — a comeback partly fueled by the runaway success of Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars." The rebooted version streams globally on Netflix, which has given it a growing international fanbase.
And Kim Poong, within all that, is the show's ultimate chaos agent. The man's not a trained chef — he made his name as a web comic artist — but across both the original run and the revival, he's built a reputation for making wildly creative, at times deeply grotesque dishes using methods no professional would ever dare to try.
His greatest hits include a noodle dish shaped to look like a mud-colored loach, meat-wrapped rice balls made to look like big fat silkworms, and a watermelon soup you kind of have to see to believe.
Black makes for an obvious fit. His whole thing is unhinged creative commitment, so the appreciation makes sense.
No plans have been announced for Black to actually appear on the show in person, but the door is wide open, and the anticipation is high.
The reason for the video message, after all, is that Black is gearing up for the Korean release of "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," the hit animated feature in which he reprises his role as Bowser.
The film has been a monster in North America, grossing $747 million worldwide against a $110 million budget and currently sitting as 2026's highest-grossing release.
It opens in Korean theaters on April 29, meaning a promo tour — coupled with an in-person appearance on the show — is well within the realm of possibility.
"Chef & My Fridge" is available on Netflix.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
