Fallen gravure idol and actress Maya Imamori confesses to past pregnancy

The disgraced gravure idol and actress Maya Imamori is struggling to re-establish herself in the entertainment industry.

Following her fall from grace over underage drinking in November last year, which led the agency of the Super Sentai actress to terminate her contract, she has attempted a comeback as a freelancer, only to spark yet another scandal.

Imamori made a candid confession in an appearance on Junpei Nakamachi’s personal YouTube channel that she was once pregnant. In the video released October 13, the 20-year-old said that she got pregnant in the first grade of high school.

“I ended up pregnant once,” she revealed. “It happened when I was a first-year high school student. The father was Chinese. Because I got pregnant back then, I’ve wanted a child ever since. I’d like to have one as soon as possible, if I could.”

Though she did not say so explicitly, it seems that she had an abortion.

The off-the-cuff confession caused shock and an inevitable backlash. Imamori, known to fans as Mayachan, has since apologized for her wording with a statement that she published on X.

“I would like to explain in writing the situation that has caused a stir on social media.”

She wrote: “First, regarding the pregnancy during my first year of high school: I cannot speak about what happened afterward. I never imagined that this single remark would lead to such criticism and abuse, and I deeply regret making such an irresponsible statement.”

She continued, “For the past six years, I have thought about that child every single day. There is hardly a day that goes by without the memory surfacing. That is precisely why I spoke about it based solely on my own perspective, viewing it as a completely ordinary part of my daily life. I am sorry.”

She concluded by writing, “I am truly sorry for being so selfish. I intend to stop all online activity for a while and face the situation as I ought to.”

It her second recent online stir, after the former star posted her first YouTube video on October 8 addressing rumors that she was doing sugar dating (papakatsu) to make ends meet. Imamori denied these rumors but did confirm that she has briefly worked as a hostess (echoing the current career of Miyu Murashima, another former gradol whose career ended in scandal and she switched full-time hostessing — with significant financial success).

Imamori, who is half-Japanese, half-Filipino, won the prestigious Miss Magazine 2023 and was seen as a rising star in gravure until her disgrace a year ago. She released two print photo books, one in 2024 and another in spring of last year.

She launched a YouTube channel earlier this month in an attempt to regain her mainstream career. So far, she seems only to making things worse for herself.