Let’s recall the two showbiz issues where cakes played a role and led to intense controversies. Cake played a significant role in the issues that happened in showbiz this year. On her 35th birthday on January 17, 2023, Alex Gonzaga stirred controversy by smearing the icing from her cake onto the face of the food attendant, Allan Crisostomo. Dani Barretto posted this incident on her Instagram, where she also captured the viral video. This action received deep criticism from netizens for its perceived disrespect.
Alex’s camp defended her by claiming that Allan was accustomed to her playful pranks and that they were close friends. Allan also released a statement confirming they had spoken and had no hard feelings. Amidst this controversy, Alex’s fans continued to support her, reminding everyone about the importance of respect and setting boundaries in joking, especially in public places.
Then, on July 25, 2023, a controversy erupted on the “Isip Bata” segment of “It’s Showtime” involving the playful banter between the couple, Vice Ganda and Ion Perez. This seemingly innocent cake incident led to deeper discussions, even resulting in legal complaints, where Ion and Vice Ganda faced lawsuits.
During the show, Vice was also encouraged to do a cake-related act. He asked Ion for a small piece of cake using his finger, which delighted many fans. However, it received negative feedback from some, especially when self-proclaimed motivational speaker Rendon Labador criticized it, referring to it as inappropriate behavior. This criticism led to a 12-day suspension of “It’s Showtime.”
The controversy also drew backlash from MTRCB Chair Lala Sotto, who accused it of being biased, resulting in the disappearance of some of Rendon Labador’s social media accounts. To this day, Labador continues to appeal on Facebook and maintains his criticisms against Ion and Vice.
As of now, there hasn’t been a final decision regarding the case against “It’s Showtime,” so they continue to air while awaiting the outcome of their motion submitted to the MTRCB.