The Philippine entertainment scene has everything—all the fun, the drama, and the sass. Believe it or not, Cosmopolitan Philippines never missed anything when it comes to these things.
Now, we can't help but reminisce about some of the interviews that made local showbiz *extra* exciting.
7 Of The Most Controversial Interviews In Philippine Showbiz:
1. Heart Evangelista defends her now-husband Chiz Escudero from her parents.
Before having their own happy ending, Heart Evangelista and Chiz Escudero went through a lot of stuff as a couple. At some point, they were Romeo and Juliet, when Heart's parents cast their direct disapproval of Chiz marrying their daughter.
In a 2013 report, Heart's mother, Cecile Ongpauco, expressed her disappointment over Chiz whom she claimed to have not given courtesy to them as Heart's parents. Their feud went on even until Heart and Chiz tied the knot in February 2015, and Heart's parents opted to do a no-show.
But prior to their controversial wedding, Heart already spoke her truth in an interview on the former showbiz show, Hot TV. Dated March 25, 2013, on GMA Network's YouTube channel, Heart belied her mother's claims.
"Hindi talaga totoo. Senator siya. Kung ibang tao nga ginagalang niya, 'yung mas mababang tao nga, nandyan siya para sa kanila, ano pa kaya 'yung magulang ng taong mahal niya?" Heart declared in the interview.
"Sana matapos na ang lahat ng 'to, kasi wala naman akong ginagawang mali. Kung may ginagawa akong mali, I'm sorry. [...] "Mahal na mahal ko sila, but tama na," Heart pleaded on national television.
Thankfully, after several years of their marriage, the Ongpauco family resolved their differences over Heart and Chiz's relationship. Last February 2024, the couple decided to renew their wedding vows, and Cecile got to walk Heart down the aisle—something which she did not fulfill during their daughter's 2015 wedding.
2. Marian Rivera had an emotional outburst while reacting to pregnancy rumors
Years before Marian Rivera became a happy and doting mother, she also became one of the celebrities faced with pregnancy rumors. There was one time that Marian became too emotional responding to the issues.
"Ako na mismo ang nagsasabi sa inyo na hindi ako buntis," Marian told the media in December 2008. Her statement came after Karylle's interview with Boy Abunda. During the said interview, Karylle was asked if there was any truth to Marian's rumored pregnancy. The singer-actress spoke no words and just responded with a subtle smile and a giggle.
At the time, Marian, Karylle, and Dingdong Dantes were embroiled in what seemed to be a celebrity love triangle. Karylle and Dingdong were a couple back then, while Marian and Dingdong were only a love team.
Weeping, Marian tried to clearly air out her sentiments in front of the media. "Pwede naman kasing sumagot siya na 'hindi ko alam.' Dahil kung ako tatanungin, kung may babaeng nabuntis o kung ano man, sasabihin ko nang hindi ko alam o wala ako sa posisyon para sagutin 'yan," she stated.
She strongly added, "Pero 'yung ngumiti lang siya na parang nangbibitin siya? Aaminin ko sa inyo, na-offend ako. Nasaktan po ako."
Six years later, Marian and Dingdong had the grandest wedding of all time among celebrity couples. Although the public has yet to seem them all in one stage, all is well. Karylle is also now happily married to Spongecola's Yael Yuzon.
3. KC Concepcion made a controversial revelation about her breakup with Piolo Pascual.
You might have forgotten but KC Concepcion and Piolo Pascual dated. Their relationship ended on an intriguing note, thanks to KC's bombshell interview with Boy Abunda.
KC and Piolo were reportedly a couple for only a year, but the pain afterward was too much for the singer-actress. By November 2011, the truth finally came out.
"May mga hinahanap ako na napaka-basic lang na hanapin ng isang babae sa isang boyfriend, sa isang lalaki. Ayoko nang pumunta na sa details kasi ayaw kong siraan siya," KC tearfully told Tito Boy.
Their relationship was something that KC worked hard for. Despite the misunderstandings, she tried to stay and let Piolo know how committed she was to him.
"Pero let's just say na lahat talaga kaya ko, lahat! Lahat ng kung may anak siya, tinanggap ko yun. Tinanggap ko yung anak niya! Kahit may mga times na hindi ko siya maintindihan, tinanggap ko kasi sinasabi sa akin ng mga kaibigan namin na personality niya 'yun.
At present, KC and Piolo have maintained their civil status with each other. Piolo is still single, while KC is currently in a relationship with a non-showbiz personality.
4. Kris Aquino went viral for her interview remarks after experiencing a tremor.
In 2019, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck some parts of Luzon—but aside from that, Kris Aquino also struck the Philippines with her quirky and bizarre reaction to the earthquake.
Kris was having a press conference when the earthquake happened but the media people with her were more astonished than bothered because of Kris' iconic antics! Mind you, this specific interview was converted into a meme. We're betting no one could forget this.
"Yes, may lindol. Nawalan ng kuryente, umuwi na tayo. I want to go home. My sons. Because nasa fault line kami," she said.
Everyone found her next comments more amusing than the previous ones. Kris noted how she thinks that it's practically the end of the world already and she's glad that she bought all the designer items she wanted, specifically those from luxury brand Chanel.
"It’s the end of the world na, I’m telling you. Buti nalang binili ko na lahat ng Chanel na gusto ko." And if you think it ended there, it didn't. Kris even joked about regretting her paid taxes, all while feeling dizzy because of the shaking. The room roared with laughter from the press.
"Bwisit, ang laki pa ng tax na binayaran ko, dapat pala in-evade ko na lang," the Queen of All Media quipped.
Kris was known to have the most amusing interviews known to mankind. But there were also some interviews that made headlines for the controversy it brought to the entertainment industry. Case in point: Kris's revelation about contracting a sexually transmitted disease or STD because of her ex-boyfriend Joey Marquez.
5. Nadine Lustre shared her most honest thoughts in an interview about living together with her then-boyfriend James Reid.
Come on guys, it's 2024 and we still can't forget Nadine Lustre's viral interview in 2017.
Everybody knew that Nadine and James Reid dated for almost four years. In all those years, the couple was intrigued about living together.
ABS-CBN News directly asked Nadine about her thoughts on the "live-in" rumors thrown at them. It was only a year after they had gone public. "If that was true, so what? It's not new anymore. Like, there are younger couples na mas young pa sa akin na [nagli-live-in]. It's normal na, eh. Come on, guys! It's 2017," she strongly remarked.
The actress never confirmed nor denied cohabiting with James back then. For Nadine, there was nothing wrong with that kind of setup with your partner. Her response became the center of discussion between conservative and open-minded fans.
6. Dr. Vicki Belo shocked the nation with her comment on Boy Abunda and Dr. Manny and Pie Calayan.
It was 2009 and the competition between celebrity dermatologists was a little *too* intense for everybody—especially for Dr. Vicki Belo and Doctors Manny and Pie Calayan.
The tension escalated even more after Dr. Vicki made quite a remark.
"All I'd like to say is if you want to look like Boy Abunda, go to Calayan. But if you want to look like Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual, come to Belo," she said in a 2009 interview.
Immediately after her interview, Tito Boy expressed his sentiments over the issue live on his showbiz talk show. The TV personality did not hold back saying how surprised he was by what happened. He argued that there was nothing between him and Dr. Vicki but a good friendship.
"We were good friends... Vicki, if you're watching, alam mo na kahit kailan hindi ako namuhunan sa gandang panlabas. Dahil alam kong wala akong masyado... Alam mo na namuhunan ako ng lakas ng loob, sipag, tiyaga, at dasal. Wala akong ilusyon. Pero wala rin nino man ang may karapatang manlait sa making pagkatao," Tito Boy declared.
He added, "You know that I did not do anything bad to you, to deserve this insult."
7. Regine Velasquez and Gelli de Belen got their *closure* during a live talk show.
Way before Instagram posts became an indicator of celebrities having their reconciliations, or rebuilding their friendship, face-to-face *real* conversations in a live telecast on national TV were a thing
People didn't need eagle-eyed netizens to spot celebs unfollowing or following each other again, nor to decode cryptic posts to get a glimpse of their situation. Celebrities were bold enough to convert their real sentiments on talk shows. Case in point: Regine Velasquez and Gelli de Belen's nerve-wracking conversation in a 2003 episode of the talk show SIS.
It can be recalled that in the past, Gelli's husband, Ariel Rivera, had a fling with Regine. Regine and Ariel became close when they were working during out-of-town shows together.
The conversation between the two women was nothing chaotic or maddening. It was a lighthearted yet touching conversation. where Regine took the chance to explain and apologize to Gelli. She divulged the moment when she thought that it was really over between her and Ariel: When she saw Ariel and Gelli together at the airport.
"When I saw you, guys, in the airport, you looked like a couple. You really are a couple and never really thought that we were a couple and I wanted to die," she recalled. "Makikita mo na tapos na talaga. ‘Yun na 'yun," she added.
"I understood why you were angry with me because whatever pain you felt when he left, I also felt it," Regine explained. "If I was in your place, I would feel the same way."
Gelli then declared that she was over being angry at Regine. "Naiisip ko parang, okay na, madami namang blessings si Lord, ano ba naman na ibigay ko ito, ikabubuti ko naman tsaka ikagagaan din naman ng loob ko. Tumatanda na din ako, siguro it was really time, bask in it all you want and after a while, tama na," she said.
Gelli and Ariel have since been happily married and have two sons, Joaquin and Julio. Regine is also in a blissful marriage with fellow singer Ogie Alcasid. They are parents to their unico hijo Nathaniel.
