We're entering the last week of May with a controversial celebrity sighting.
Barbie Imperial and Richard Gutierrez were spotted casually strolling the streets of South Korea together over the weekend. Pinoys couldn't help but share the sighting with netizens here in the Philippines.
PEP.ph reported about a now-deleted Facebook post about the said sighting. Richard and Barbie granted some Filipinos to take pictures with them. However, according to PEP.ph, the post noted that Barbie allegedly mentioned not to upload pics of her together with Richard.
READ ALSO: Are Richard Gutierrez, Barbie Imperial In Same Vacation Spot?
"Gusto ko din Sana magpapic ky Boy [sic] Sabi ni girl hindi daw pede mkita [sic] silang mgksama..napaisip tuloy ko Kung ako lng b nkakilala sa knila [sic]," the netizen narrated in the deleted comments section.
The netizen also pointed out that Barbie talked to them kindly. And that they connected well since they both have Bicolano heritage.
Sarah Lahbati's reaction to Richard Guttierez and Barbie Imperial's dating rumors
Richard and Barbie's new sighting comes after they were first spotted together at a bar in January 2024. At the time, Richard and Sarah Lahbati were no longer a couple although they still have not revealed the reason for their separation.
Lurking into Sarah's posts after Richard and Barbie broke the internet yesterday, we noticed Sarah liked some of the netizens' comments. Most of the comments were praising her for her beauty, her connection to her sons, and so on.
What caught our attention was Sarah liking a comment saying, "Unbothered queen." Is this Sarah declaring her ~unbothered~ self about her estranged husband's alleged new relationship?
READ MORE: Sarah Lahbati On Seeking Revenge: 'I believe in karma'
Sarah and Richard's breakup rumors began in the latter part of 2023. And despite all the clues—the lack of new IG couple pics, their mothers engaging in a word war defending them, and the absence of family pics since 2024—it was only in March 2024 that Sarah officially confirmed their separation to the public.
"Yeah, I mean. there's nothing to hide. And I think it's pretty clear to the public na both of us [are single]... I think," Sarah declared in an interview with MJ Felipe.
Days before the confirmation, Sarah further shared that she's not on speaking terms with her estranged husband, though they're on a co-parenting setup. "Well, of course, it's not ideal for the children, let's go back to the kids. But that's life and that'll be fine. We're good at parenting and we have, you know, we are there for the kids. That's all I'm gonna say," she explained.
Since their breakup, netizens have always been intrigued by Sarah's reaction to the circulating rumors about Richard and Barbie. In April 2024, she had a brief response to the members of the press who politely asked her about the other rumored couple.
Her response was short yet respectful. "No reaction. NR," she said.
Richard and Barbie remain silent as well about the news of their South Korea trip. As of writing, Barbie has limited and turned off the comments section for some of her posts on Instagram.
