Jeon Cyrus, a contestant on the segment ‘KalokaLike’ from ‘It’s Showtime,’ has addressed the backlash he faced following his performance as a look-alike of SB19 member Stell Ajero.
In a heartfelt post on Facebook on September 3, Jeon shared his reaction to the negative comments he received and announced he would be taking a break from social media.
“First of all, I want to say how grateful I am for the kind messages from everyone,” Jeon began. “This will be my last post and the last time I check notifications on all my social media accounts for a while. I’m quite sensitive to hurtful words, but I prepared myself for the possibility of negative comments before accepting the offer to be seen on national TV.”
The Cebu City-based performer expressed his disappointment not just with the mockery of his appearance but with concerns that his performance might negatively impact Stell, who has recently faced criticism over issues related to his public image. Jeon said, “I’m not upset by those who laughed at my appearance. Of course, our main goal at Showtime was to bring laughter and good vibes to everyone. What really broke my heart, though, is seeing people create stories that somehow, because of me, Kuya Stell might face more bashing, especially with his recent issues about “fame shame/visual” still being fresh.”
Jeon clarified that he was invited by ABS-CBN and was eager to showcase his talent. “FYI, ABS-CBN reached out to me.I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to showcase my talents and share my love for performing with everyone,” he explained. “It’s painful to read comments blaming me, saying that Kuya Stell will receive more hurtful remarks because of my appearance and nakakahiya daw sa fandom, with some even suggesting I shouldn’t have participated.”
Despite the criticism, Jeon remains proud of his performance and hopes he made his supporters proud. “I did my very best to give everyone a great show through my talent,” he said. “But please, stop accusing me of fueling the fire that might bring more negativity towards Kuya Stell. I hope I made my fellow A’TIN proud by performing an SB19 song, and I’m incredibly grateful to my group TITANS for showing me love and support.”
Jeon’s post was met with an outpouring of support from netizens, many of whom praised his performance and advised him to ignore the critics.
