Screengrab of Vice Ganda from “It’s Showtime” episode on June 4. (ABS-CBN Entertainment via YouTube)

The viral episode of “It’s Showtime’s” “Expecially for You” continues to make online buzz after hosts issued a public statement on live television on Tuesday.

This began when “Expecially For You”, a segment of the noontime show on GMA, aired last week on May 31. The episode featured guest player Christine rejecting a cheek kiss (or beso) from “searchee” Axel. Her reaction shocked the hosts as well as viewers, as Vice Ganda pointed out that he could get a file cased against him for his advances.

Initially retracting her discomfort via TikTok, the show personnel reached out to Christine. This prompted the show hosts to reveal that she felt uneasy when she received a non-consensual beso.

Following “It’s Showtime’s” statement, a spliced video of Christine crying in the corner surfaced on TikTok and Twitter. The video is now inaccessible by search.

Vice then received a string of disappointment from the online community, stating that he “shamed innocent people” (these being Axel and Christine).

This caused multiple people on the internet to reopen this discourse all over social media, blaming the emcee of the show.

 

Is this another smear campaign?

On Wednesday evening, several online users noticed similar posts made by various content creators and anonymous online users as they all shared a similar statement.

“This unnecessary hate train on @vicegandako is one of the reasons why most women still struggle to speak up when they get uncomfortable with men,” Drag Queen Shewarma remarked on X (formerly Twitter).

Content creator Justin Dizon also posted on X, “Ano to? May demolition job kay Vice Ganda? Tapos sinabay niyo pa ngayong Pride month ha. Mga inggitera kayo.”

A user from X quoted his post with screenshots of TikTok posts with similar phrasing.

Another online user pointed out that the same goes with the videos posted on TikTok.

“Ani pa ng ilang netizens ay tila ba kapareho ito ng nangyari noon kay Maggie Wilson kung saan nag hire ng iba’t-ibang content creators upang magbahagi ng mga scripted opinions para mapasama siya,” the online user said.

 

The online user was referring to model and former beauty queen Maggie Wilson made headlines in September 2023 after she uncovered content creators and other online users who participated in a coordinated smear campaign against her with posts bearing similar “script” or content against her and her lifestyle brand, ACASA Manila.

The similarities to posts about Maggie were also noticed by other online users.