- That’s My Bae Joel Palencia was involved in an alleged photo scandal with a certain Jhay Layam.
- Palencia and Layam were rivals in male pageants.
- The apparent photos of him was leaked by PamintaSuperstar.com and Trending Stars PH on Facebook and Instagram.
- The post includes the alleged conversation of Joel with Jhay.
- Joel’s parents were quick to deny the allegations that their son is gay.
- Jhay and Joel’s close friend also expressed his shock over the leakage of their alleged kissing photo.
- Netizens and Joel’s fans are debating whether the photos were manipulated or not.
In conjunction with LGBT Pride Month, a certain entertainment Facebook page shook the world of That’s My Bae fans.
On June 10, at around 1PM, Trending Star PH posted an alleged photo of “Trops” star Joel Palencia and a guy named Jhay Layam on Instagram. In the photo, the two guys can be seen kissing each other on the lips. The caption says: “May parte talaga ng ating nakaraan ang mahirap takasan.”
Facebook page PamintaSuperstar.com, a page dedicated to gays and bisexuals and the sister page of Trending Star PH, shared the most and revealed that the photo had gone viral on Twitter. The page also claimed that the two guys on the viral photo are from Antipolo City in Rizal.
After several hours, the original uploader has posted another set of alleged photos of Joel and Jhay. This time, the page has also included several photos of an apparent Messenger conversations by Joel with a guy under the Facebook name of Jhay Layam.
The blue bubbles were believed to be sent by Joel himself to Jhay; while the gray bubbles were ostensibly from Jhay.
In the conversation, Joel and Jhay apparently engaged in a sexual activity, with Joel as the one who allegedly used to bring up the topic.
Towards the end of the post, the conversation revealed that Joel apparently said that he was ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of his relationship with Jhay.
Finally, the supposed gay couple seemingly parted ways. Joel apparently said that would wait for Jhay until they meet again.
It is also noticeable that the profile picture that was used by the alleged Jhay is similar to what Jhay had used for his personal Facebook account.
If the photo is proven to be genuine like what others think, then the conversation was captured about two years ago.
Netizens react
Some netizens are skeptical about the viral photos. Other claimed that the guys in the photos are not Joel and Jhay, while others think that the photos were professionally manipulated to discredit Joel and the rest of That’s My Bae members.
On the other hand, some people believe that the photos were authentic and were not modified. They even expressed their support for the alleged gay couple.
Joel’s familiy and friend’s reaction
AL Palencia, Jr., Joel’s dad posted his sentiments on his Facebook account, hours after the the issue erupted on social media. He defined the word “Basher” and defended his son from such allegations.
He wrote:
He even changed his cover photo on his Facebook to his picture with Joel with the caption:
Additionally, Joel’s mom, Mercy Palencia, appealed to his son’s fans to refrain from believing from the “hearsay.” She said through a Facebook post:
She also added, “[P]ero nqaun tayo kylangan ng bae joel ntin kylangan natin sya damayan sa lht ng problema nya lalo n sa nangyayari nqaun kya mga joeletics damayan ntin c joel ipaglaban natin sa walang kwentang litrato n yan di natin pababayaan ang bae natin ipakita natin na mahal natin sya at di natin sya iiwan dhl lng sa chismis n kumakalat ito lng.”
In the end, Mrs. Palencia thanked the leaker of the photos, as her son became more famous on social media. She said, “[G]usto ko sbhin sa walang kwentang nagkalat ng picture n yan slmt h kse lalo mong pinasisikat c joel masaya kn b kung wala kng magawa at naiinggit k sa anak ko isa lng masasabe ko syo dios na bhla sayo.”
Meanwhile, Ian Dustin Tolentino, Joel and Jhay’s closest friend, expressed his shocked over the viral photos. He tweeted, “WTF ANONG KUMAKALAT SA DALAWANG TROPA KO NA PARANG SCANDAL NA MAY MGA PICTURE PA ANYARE JOEL ANYARE JHAY?”
He also described the leaked photos as uncanny and shocking at the same time.
Based on Ian’s previous tweets, he, along with Joel and Jhay were best buddies. He even used to call their group Big 3.
As of this writing, Joel and Jhay remain mum about the issue.
