Rather than joining her supporters who quickly rushed to her defense, Kim Chiu asked that the matter simply be set aside—a stance that ran against what many of her online followers expected.
The controversy stemmed from a post by Vice Ganda, made under his real name Jose Marie Viceral, describing a fan as guilty of “kacheapan.” That follower had earlier complained that the newly added hosts of “It’s Showtime” were left unmentioned on a particular occasion, an oversight the fan branded as favoritism.
Kim declined to match the heat of the exchange. Instead, she offered her own reading of why her supporters reacted the way they did.
“Ayaw ko na sanang palakihin ito. Pero bilang mga tagasuporta, hindi naman siguro kacheapan ang tawag doon. Siguro po, marahil, sa sobrang pagmamahal at suporta nila sa idolo nila ay protective sila. Initial reaction po siguro ito. Hindi sa tinolerate ko sila pero sana hinayaan na natin ito,” Kim said.
The “kacheapan” flare-up followed a separate incident involving the two hosts. On July 20, 2026, at the Manila Hotel, Vice took home two trophies at the inaugural FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards—Best Variety Show for “It’s Showtime” and a personal win as Best Host for Entertainment. He went up the stage twice, and in the course of his thank-yous, he neglected to name Kim, herself a co-host on the program.
According to PEP.ph, Vice earned the Best Host for Entertainment plum over rivals that included Dingdong Dantes, Anne Curtis, Boy Abunda, and the trio of Tito, Vic & Joey. His speech acknowledged both longtime and newer castmates, among them Brent Manalo and Ralph de Leon, but the Chinita Princess went unmentioned.
Vice personally apologized to Kim when the two were reunited on “It’s Showtime” this past Tuesday, per Abante News, and also congratulated her along with their other co-hosts.
For Kim, everything an artist achieves rests on the people who continue to stand behind them.
“Kung wala ang mga taong sumusuporta at lubos na nagmamahal sa atin wala din tatangkilik sa lahat ng ginagawa natin.”
