Recap: 2020's Biggest Local Showbiz Controversies
Remember the showbiz headlines Filipinos couldn't stop talking about!
Even with an indefinite pause put on the local entertainment industry, some stars still found themselves as the centers of (unwanted) attention!
2020 was definitely an interesting year for celebrities: pregnancy rumors, social media faux pas, a controversy-filled wedding and engagement, and even explosive revelations about what goes on behind closed doors are but some of the stories that defined showbiz in 2020. Some of which gave us viral hashtags, memes, and hilarious online commentary we'll never not laugh at.
Look back at some of the most controversial celebrity headlines for 2020 in the gallery below:
2020's Biggest Local Showbiz Controversies
2020's Biggest Local Showbiz Controversies
Maris Racal was bulled on social media.
An otherwise low-key Maris Racal found herself the object of President Duterte's online army's rage when she spoke up against the administration's perceived shortcomings and failures. In particular, she criticized the government's weak approach to curbing violence and brute force in the country, earning herself the #boycottMarisRacal hashtag from pro-Duterte netizens. Maris' fans were quick to respond with their own hashtag to drown out the hate; they stormed Twitter with #ProtectMarisRacal soon afterwards.
Photo Credit: @mariestellar
Iza Calzado was slammed for her thoughts on the COVID crisis.
Iza Calzado is a COVID survivor; her life was permanently changed when she contracted, and then recovered from, the deadly disease, but the Internet could never forget how the actress said that COVID was the universe's way of making the world a better place. Individuals who themselves or had loved ones that had suffered from the pandemic and its social and economic consequences were unhappy with her insensitivity and Iza quickly retracted her statement and issued an apology.
Photo Credit: @missizacalzado
Kim Chiu created "Law of Classroom" and survived a shooting incident.
There's probably nothing more memorable than Kim Chiu becoming emotional in a livestream when she talked about ABS-CBN's closure. In her attempt to express her feelings, she (unsuccessfully) used a metaphor about a classroom and homework, and being unable to leave class without first submitting requirements — or something close to that. Her incoherence birthed the phrase "Law of Classroom" and it made her the butt of endless jokes for weeks and weeks. The actress, however, was a great sport and took the opportunity to use her Internet infamy to turn it into several fundraising initiatives for COVID-affected Filipinos. She sold shirts, turned "Law of Classroom" into an original song with dance moves, and she now stars in a series based on the joke. It wasn't all fun and games for Kim though. In March, while she was on her way to work, masked gunmen showered her van with bullets in a random shooting. She was uninjured after the incident, albeit teary-eyed and shaky, but the gunmen remain at large.
Photo Credit: @chinitaprincess
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Piolo Pascual earned the public's ire when he traveled to Sagada.
Piolo Pascual is loved by way too many Filipinos to count, but the admiration soured in July when he and director Joyce Bernal traveled to Sagada. They were there to allegedly shoot a political project for use in President Duterte's SONA, but they were denied entry into the town because of COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Confusion arose when Piolo clarified that they weren't there for political reasons, but for a personal project of Joyce's.
Photo Credit: @piolo_pascual
Miss U PH Second Runner-Up Michele Gumabao had explosive revelations about the pageant.
A month after Miss Universe Philippines 2020 announced Rabiya Mateo as the winner, Second Runner-Up Michele Gumabao took to her YouTube channel and strongly suggested that the competition was dishonest and unjust in its judging. She claimed to have overheard conversations alluding to this, but more than her explosive revelations, Michele concentrated on talking about what pageants and competing in them truly meant for girls like her. She spoke about empowerment, authenticity, and courage in her vlog.
Photo Credit: @gumabaomichele
Luis Manzano spoke up about the engagement ring he gave Jessy Mendiola.
People were happy for Luis Manzano and Jessy Mendiola when they announced their engagement last December. However, jewelry maker Radiant Jewelry was not. They had claimed that the couple wrongly credited Manila Diamond Studio as the creator of Jessy's engagement ring, when they were in fact the company behind its original design. Luis had to release an official statement in response to the issue and let the public know that Manila Diamond Studio really did redesigned the ring for Jessy.
Photo Credit: @senorita_jessy
Nadia Montenegro vs. John Regala
Nadia Montenegro and John Regala were childhood friends. Both began their careers in showbiz around the same time and their families were close, too, making Nadia and John some of the closest celeb friends there were in the industry. When Nadia learned that John was practically begging for financial aid after being unable to support himself and afford medication for an array of life-threatening health conditions, she was the first to come to his side. Her efforts to raise funds for his needs were highly publicized, but they all came to a sudden stop when it was revealed that John was uncooperative and taking advantage of Nadia's help. She publicly broke ties with John and is now no longer involved with efforts to help him.
Photo Credit: @officialnadiam
Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo secretly wed.
It was a shock when everyone found out that Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli were married in a top secret ceremony. It would have been an otherwise happy event, but it was marred by so much controversy involving Sarah and her mom, Divine. No one from Sarah's family was invited to the ceremony or the reception that followed because of their alleged opposition to her relationship, but Divine reportedly stormed their wedding party in an angry fit and made a big scene in front of the couple's guests. Reports stated that Matteo had also gotten into a fight with security who gave Divine information about and access to the private event.
Photo Credit: @matteog
Catriona Gray was introduced as Australian at the Miss Colombia pageant.
It's no secret that Catriona Gray is an Australian-Filipino thanks to her father, but at the Miss Colombia pageant where she sat as a judge, she was introduced as "Australian by birth" that represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2018 competition. The beauty queen responded to the inaccurate introduction with an IG Story that stated "Filipina" alongside a photo of her. The Colombian pageant reps quickly apologized for the misstep and claimed that it was a translation error.
Photo Credit: @catriona_gray
Clint Bondad got weird—very, very weird—on Instagram.
Speaking more about Catriona, she's happily in a relationship with Sam Milby now but her ex, Clint Bondad, didn't seem to be too pleased about the fact. In the weeks that followed Catriona and Sam revealing their relationship status, Clint flooded his Instagram Stories with downright odd, weird, and sometimes rather disturbing images and words. In a number of them, he claimed to know secrets about Sam that he threatened to reveal, and that he too would share private and sensitive information about Catriona. His "threats" never materialized, however. Clint found himself in another controversial situation when the public learned that he had been living with (and still is) living with Anne Jakrajutatip, a wealthy Thai business owner who is openly a transgender for nine months. Anne has denied being romantically involved with Clint.
Photo Credit: @clintbondad
Kathryn Bernardo defended herself against body shaming.
Atty. Ferdinand Topacio came under fire this summer when he insulted Kathryn Bernardo for her legs. He called her bow-legged and soon afterwards, more President Duterte supporters joined him in his body shaming tirade. Kathryn responded by filming a vlog for her YouTube channel where she directly addresses the lawyer and his camp, saying "Kiss my f--cking legs."
Photo Credit: @bernardokath
Liza Soberano took action against sexual violence threats made against her.
Internet provider Converge found itself in hot water when Liza Soberano revealed that one of its employees made a rape joke directed towards her. The employee seemed to have taken offense when Liza complained about the company's poor customer service and connectivity, and responded by making the conversation personal. Liza filed a criminal complaint against the employee and eventually, another individual who fueled the fire by divulging Liza's personal details (like her address) to the public.
Photo Credit: @lizasoberano
Jane de Leon, Darna no more.
The "Darna" movie is a project that's been taken on by multiple directors and actresses but never seems to push through. The latest actress to have been cast as the Filipina superheroine was Jane de Leon, but even she won't be starring in a Darna movie anymore because of irreconcilable "creative differences." Instead, she'll be starring in a "Darna" TV series scheduled to come out this year. In the process, the actress responded to online bashers who pointed out her being undeserving of the role and overall inexperience as an actress. The 22-year-old said "“Sino ba ako? Totoo naman. Baguhan ‘to. Saan nanggaling ‘to? Bakit siya? Iyon ‘yung mga tanong ng netizens. Even me. Huwag kayo mag-alala, kahit ako, tanong ko ‘yun sa sarili ko: Bakit ba ako ‘yung napili?” and remained confident in her abilities.
Photo Credit: @imjanedeleon
Julia Barretto was linked to Gerald Anderson, again—and rumored to be be pregnant.
It's a controversy that's been going on for a little over a year now. The Julia Barretto/Bea Alonzo/Gerald Anderson love triangle hasn't let up even in 2020, and there are two new rumors that have been added to the saga. The first is that former newscaster Jay Sonza confidently claimed that Julia was pregnant with Gerald's child. (It was disputed within hours). The second is that Julia and Gerald really are together, something that was proven by Julia wearing a necklace with a letter G as a pendant. More so, Gerald and Julia both posted photos on their social media of a hiking trip that looked suspiciously similar.
Photo Credit: @juliabarretto
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Coco Martin didn't hold back about the ABS-CBN shutdown.
ABS-CBN celebrities had strong reactions when the network was shut down by Congress. Coco Martin, leading man of ongoing teleserye "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano," had to be the angriest one of them all. In a livestream called "Laban Kapamilya" that invited ABS-CBN stars and employees to talk about their thoughts on the shutdown, the actor was visibly fuming and struggled to hold back when expressing his anger. He openly pushed back against the government and didn't mince his words, earning mixed reactions from netizens who either shared his views or were in total disagreement with him.
Photo Credit: @jagjeans76
Sharon Cuneta threatened criminal action against a man who said he would rape her daughter.
Sharon Cuneta had no hesitations showing her fierceness when a netizen openly made rape threats against her daughter, Frankie Pangilinan. Sharon eventually got a hold of the man's identity (and address) and threatened to sue him. In a public display of maternal protection, Sharon announced that she would track him down and use her connections in the Justice Department to find him and serve him what he deserved.
Photo Credit: @reallysharoncuneta
Lead photos from @matteog @chinitaprincess @missizacalzado @gumabaomichele @juliabarretto @senorita_jessy
