Vice Ganda not sorry for calling out kissy ‘It’s Showtime’ searchee© Provided by Inquirer

Vice Ganda said he does not intend to apologize to “It’s Showtime” searchee Axel, whom the show host called out for supposedly trying to kiss searcher Christine on the cheek without asking for her consent.

The incident happened during the May 31 episode of the show’s “EXpecially for You” segment, when Axel—who wasn’t chosen by Christine—was asked to greet and introduce himself to her.

Axel approached Christine, who already had her arm raised to shake the former’s hand. He then leaned closer to her, seemingly in an attempt to kiss her on the cheek, but Christine avoided the gesture.

“Hoy, ‘di pwede ‘yon. That’s bad. You don’t do that. You ask for permission,” Vice Ganda told Axel. “Alam mo bang pwede kang mademanda sa ginagawa mo? Hindi ka pwedeng nagnanakaw ng halik.”

Axel, through a video on his TikTok page, then explained that he was not going to kiss Christine but was only trying to bump shoulders like what guys usually do after a handshake.

Christine likewise clarified in a separate video that Axel was not going to kiss her but instead leaned closer to hug her. She also thanked the hosts for their concern, and apologized to Axel for the bashing aimed at him after the incident.

After Axel and Christine’s statements, Vice Ganda then took to his X page to say that he would apologize to Axel for their reaction. The comedian further noted that he thought Christine felt violated, which was the reason he called Axel out.

However, Vice Ganda and his fellow hosts addressed the matter anew during the June 4 episode of the noontime show, saying they—along with the staff and psychologists—had talked to Axel and Christine regarding the matter.

During their conversation with Christine, Vice said she admitted she felt “off” over Axel’s gesture, and that she had a reason—which the hosts and staff wouldn’t disclose—why she priorly said through her statement that she didn’t feel such.

“Nagkaroon ng usapin kung tama or mali ‘yung ginawa namin; kung iyon ba ay sobra o nadiskriminada ba si Axel dahil base sa sinasabi ng tao na sa kanyang itsura kung bakit hindi nararapat ‘yung kanyang ginawa,” Vice Ganda said.

“Nakausap po [naming] muli si Axel at si Christine, at dahil po don ay binabawi ko ‘yung ni-tweet ko na I will say an apology because I do not need to apologize for what I did,” he added. “Paniniwala namin na hindi namin kailangang mag-apologize because what we did was right.”

Vice Ganda also underscored that it is every woman’s right to refuse or express herself whenever she feels violated by a gesture. He noted as well that they called Axel out to protect Christine.

Nonetheless, Vice Ganda appealed to netizens to stop the bashing toward Christine and Axel. The TV host added that Axel understands the situation and has learned from it.