Axel Cruz, a 22-year-old participant of the “EXpecially For You” segment on “It’s Showtime,” has denied allegations made by bashers following his controversial appearance on the May 31, 2024 episode.
Accusations surfaced claiming that Axel was paid by Vice Ganda after the host reprimanded him for allegedly stealing a kiss from Christine, the searcher in the dating-game segment. Vice Ganda sternly told Axel, “You can’t do that, that’s bad! Don’t do that, you ask for permission. Do you know you can be sued for what you did?”
In response, Axel released a reaction video on TikTok, denying that he kissed Christine and expressing how embarrassed he felt being reprimanded on national television. Axel clarified that he only initiated a “bro code” gesture of shoulder-to-shoulder contact with Christine.
Axel also posted on Facebook, expressing gratitude towards Vice Ganda and urging netizens to stop bashing the host. “Thankful padin ako lalo na kay meme vice please stop bashing her nagulat lang din siguro sya,” he wrote.
However, the situation escalated when netizens accused Axel of being paid to defend Vice Ganda. Axel addressed this in a message exchange with PEP.ph on June 6, 2024, firmly denying the accusations. He stated, “Kahit kelan hindi ko ipagbibili ang dignidad at pagkatao ko.”
Axel explained that his Facebook post, defending Vice Ganda, was made prior to his reaction video on TikTok. He believes that the timing of his posts led some netizens to wrongly assume he was paid off.
Despite the backlash, Axel remains grateful to those who support him. “Thankful ako sa mga taong patuloy na nagsasalita at magtatanggol sa akin,” he said.
The controversy has elicited mixed reactions towards Vice Ganda, with some agreeing with the host’s reprimand and others criticizing the public shaming of Axel.
For now, Axel is focused on dealing with the ongoing bashing and remains resilient, saying, “Okay lang, masasanay na lang po ako. Di na ako magpapaapekto.”