Exit Kalamare, trailed by jeers over boob jokes

“The party always has to end,” she wrote. “The nine years we worked together made us the closest group, but everyone has a different path.” This was Kalamare’s caption for the photo she posted off all four of the hosts, the others being Kullada “Nina” Patchimsawat, Pimolwan “Pui” Supayang and Meesuk “Kai” Jangmeesuk. 

“Tomorrow is the last day the show will have all four of us,” she added, referring to Friday’s episode. She explained that Pui is moving to another station, while she plans to stay with the “Family Channel” – at Channel 3 – on a new programme debuting in July. 

Kalamare is surely the most famous of the four, so her departure makes it feel like the break-up of a superstar girl band. But she has other TV shows on the go as well as various non-hosting jobs in show business. Her decision to quit “Phuying Tueng Phuying” must have been in the works for some time because she’s now preparing for her own show, which will air immediately after the “Phuying” sign off at 9am. So it’s down to the two, now – Nina and Kai – all that’s left of the most-recognised female quartet on the small screen. 

Kalmare’s farewell comes amid controversy. The hosts have been criticised before for going overboard while commenting on news events – or sometimes getting their information wrong. But this time, shortly before she left, Kalamare was lambasted for her remarks about breastfeeding, which is invariably a sensitive issue. She said on the show that she wouldn’t want a baby’s saliva lingering on her breasts and would anyway feel sorry for her husband, presumably because he’d be “missing out”.

She meant it as a joke, but viewers took offence, scores of them pointing out that she was just plain wrong on both counts. Kai didn’t help matters any by saying continuing to breastfeed her newborn baby would turn her nipples into yard-long beans. 

The uproar on the social media was deafening, with the hosts chastised is only for making silly jokes and possibly misleading women with ridiculous claims. 

Dr Suteera Uapairojkit, who promotes breastfeeding on her Facebook page, got in touch with the show’s producer and was told (as she subsequently reported on Facebook) that “they regret the action and had no intention to be anti-breastfeeding. They said they would correct the information on the May 28 programme”. 

Anyone in these militant times feel like letting bygones be bygones? The departing co-hosts’ parting might not be quite as graceful as they planned, but let’s hope that, when Kalamare unveils her new show, she’ll have learned a lesson and go easy on the dodgy attempts at humour.