TWICE's Jeongyeon Leaves JYP After 11 Years, Signs With Baro Entertainment for Acting Career
TWICE's Jeongyeon leaves JYP Entertainment after 11 years, joins Baro Entertainment for acting and confirms TWICE remains her top priority.
TWICE's Jeongyeon is opening a new chapter. After spending 11 years with JYP Entertainment, the singer is leaving the company and beginning an acting career under her real name, Yoo Jeongyeon. The move marks a major personal shift, but she made one point unmistakably clear: TWICE remains at the center of her plans.
On August 10, Jeongyeon put pen to paper and shared a handwritten letter on social media. “I am leaving JYP, with whom I have spent a long time since my teenage years, to try a new beginning in a new place,” she wrote. She admitted that stepping away from somewhere so familiar brought fear, but credited her fellow members and ONCE with giving her the courage to move forward.
JEONGYEON is leaving JYP Entertainment.
— Oneily Music (@OneilyMusic) August 10, 2026
“Hello, this is JEONGYEON.
After giving a lot of thought to how to express my feelings, I am sharing this letter with you all.
JYP has been my second home since my teenage years, a place where I’ve spent so much time and created so many… pic.twitter.com/x2iXxGAFZj
Her message also carried a direct note of gratitude toward the people who shared those years with her. “I am thankful to our members and ONCE, whom I cannot fully express in words, and to the JYP family who helped me grow,” Jeongyeon said. After more than a decade at the company, her departure closes one part of her career while leaving her commitment to TWICE firmly in place.
That distinction matters. Jeongyeon stressed that changing agencies does not mean stepping away from the group. “One thing I really want to tell ONCE is that although I have moved to a new home and am starting a new challenge, I will continue to protect TWICE, the biggest center within me, just as I have always been, and standing before ONCE as a member of TWICE will always be my top priority,” she explained.
Jeongyeon also addressed what comes next, separating her future into two connected paths: Jeongyeon of TWICE and actress Yoo Jeongyeon. “I will prepare step by step with sincerity for both the steps I take as Jeongyeon of TWICE, whom you have loved, and the new challenges that Yoo Jeongyeon will face in the future,” she wrote. She thanked fans for continuing to believe in her, adding that there is still plenty of time ahead for them to create more memories together.
Her next destination is Baro Entertainment, where she signed an exclusive contract on August 10. The agency is also home to her older sister, Gong Seungyeon. Jeongyeon will pursue acting under her real name, Yoo Jeongyeon, giving her a distinct identity for this new phase while maintaining her place in TWICE.
Baro Entertainment said it “deeply resonated with Yoo Jungyeon's sincere attitude and genuine feelings toward acting.” The company also said it would provide support to ensure the smooth continuation of her group activities. That detail reinforces the central message running through Jeongyeon's own letter: the agency has changed, but her work with TWICE is set to continue.
The timing makes the decision even more significant. It has been 11 years since TWICE debuted, and with contract renewals approaching, the members are discussing options that include independence or exclusive contracts with new agencies. Jeongyeon is the first TWICE member to decide on her future, making her move an important development as attention turns toward the individual paths the members may choose.
For Jeongyeon, though, the message is less about leaving something behind than defining what she wants to carry forward. Acting gives Yoo Jeongyeon a fresh challenge, while TWICE remains her stated top priority. After 11 years with JYP Entertainment, she is moving into unfamiliar territory with a clear promise to ONCE: her new beginning will still have TWICE at its center.
