Ken Jeong and Rei Ami kick off Shark Week with K-pop show
Ken Jeong and KPop Demon Hunters star Rei Ami open Discovery Channel's Shark Week on Sunday with the show "K-Pop Shark Heroes," blending celebrity spectacle and shark science. Jeong stayed dry while Ami dove with hammerheads, reef sharks, and bull sharks — and the pair hope to reshape how viewers see apex predators.
Key Takeaways
- Ken Jeong co-hosts Shark Week opener "K-Pop Shark Heroes" with Rei Ami on Discovery Channel.
- Rei Ami completed cage and free dives with hammerheads, reef sharks, and bull sharks.
- Jeong wrote a K-pop education anthem with Rei Ami's help but stayed out of the water.
- Shark Week 2026 features 20 new hourlong shows across seven nights through Aug. 1.
Why did Ken Jeong and Rei Ami join Shark Week?
According to AP News, Rei Ami — whose voice helped fuel the hit film "KPop Demon Hunters" — grew up watching Shark Week commercials of great whites leaping for chum and tuna. When the chance came to work with Jeong, she said she would be "an idiot to say no."
Jeong told WSVN that sharks spotted near Korea's shores in the past year helped inspire both of them. He said he had "this genius idea to write a K-pop anthem based on this pursuit of education" and enlisted Rei Ami of Huntrix from "KPop Demon Hunters" to help. The episode airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel.
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Did Ken Jeong actually swim with the sharks?
Not quite. Ami went on two cage dives and two free dives with hammerheads, reef sharks, and bull sharks off the Korean Peninsula. She watched about 16 reef sharks in a feeding frenzy from the ocean floor and was moved to tears, telling AP she was "enamored" and "in awe" rather than petrified.
Jeong preferred dry land. "I'm more of the Christopher Nolan of the shark 'Odyssey' — just overseeing it," he joked. "Just overlooking everything. High and dry. That's when I do my best work." Ami later called swimming with the predators "the most life-altering and beautiful experience" she has ever had.
What else is coming during Shark Week 2026?
Discovery's 38th Shark Week launches Sunday, July 26, with 20 new hourlong programs over seven nights, ending Aug. 1. Other titles on the slate include "Air Jaws: Red, White & Breach," "House of Sharks," and "How to Train a Great White."
Highlights include high diver Molly Carlson leaping 50 feet from a helicopter into a Plexiglas cage surrounded by reef sharks, plus a hunt for a rumored 15-foot mako off Southern California. Ami stressed that behind the thrills, Shark Week remains educational, hoping viewers leave with less fear and more understanding of how sharks behave.
Her practical tip for anyone face-to-snout with a shark echoes Discovery's guidance: stop splashing. With interactions rising from Korea to Brooklyn, she said it is "even more imperative" that people know how to react in the water.