On November 16, stand-up comedian Alex Calleja recalled the intense bashing he got from netizens after being a judge on It’s Showtime.
At the media conference for TikTalks, which LionhearTV covered, Calleja narrated his experience of receiving harsh comments from netizens after his stint on the noontime show.
“Naghurado ako–nag-judge ako sa It’s Showtime tapos isa sa mga sa natalo ata doon, isang sikat na gay si– itago natin sa pangalang Marigona, tapos na-bash ako ng mga two days trending. Eh ako nagsusulat ng mga questions, ako rin ang writer, sabi nila, ‘Bobo raw ako, wala raw ako alam sa questions. Ako nagsulat.'”
He then revealed that the online slurs got so intense that netizens came after his family.
“So na-bash ako ng dalawang araw tapos umabot sa minemessage pati ‘yung anak ko, pati ‘yung asawa ko, na ‘Bobo ‘yung tatay mo, tanga ‘yung tatay mo, mamatay na ‘yung tatay mo.’ ‘Walang karapatang mabuhay si Ka-Alex.’ ‘Bobo ka, panget ka.’ Coming from all ano.”
He then shared his realizations from the ordeal and how to handle his social media platforms.
“Ang nalaman ko doon, patayin mo na ang social media, wala kang malalaman. So may sarili siyang mundo na you can control by just ignoring, hindi siya totoong world na masasalubong mo ‘yung tao sa labas, totoo pa rin because kahit ang dami nila, wala kang masasalubong para magsalita ng ganon.
“So ang natutunan ko, kaya makakapagdiscuss ako ng opinion ko as long as hindi ka makakasira, tulad nga ng sabi ni Miss Korina, is ang natutunan ko, sa social media, for peace of mind, patayin mo, or iblock mo, at hindi sila nagi-exist.”
Calleja’s It’s Showtime stint happened in October 2022, wherein the comedian gave his criticism to the Miss Q and A contestant Marigona Dona Dragusha.
TikTalks is hosted by Korina Sanchez, with Calleja, Kakai Bautista, G3 San Diego, and Pat-P Daza, and will premiere on December 3, 2022, via TV5 and Cignal TV.