MANILA, Philippines — Television host and comedian Vice Ganda came under fire on social media after a comedy segment on “It's Showtime” featuring Johaira of the show's resident dance group, Baby Dolls, drew accusations of colorism and insensitive humor from viewers.
The controversy stemmed from a recent "Memerimar" skit featuring Johaira, a member of the show's resident dance group, Baby Dolls.
During the live segment, Vice Ganda spat water onto Johaira's face as part of a slapstick routine. Moments later, the host joked, "Anong nangyari sa 'yo? Ba't nagputik ka?" ("What happened to you? Why do you look like you're covered in mud?") — a remark that many online users interpreted as referencing Johaira's skin tone.
Clips of the incident quickly circulated across social media platforms, which drew criticism from viewers who argued that the joke crossed the line from comedy to humiliation.
Among those reacting online was user @jomsksk, who wrote: "maybe I'm too woke pero yung mga jokes ni meme vice about johaira and her skin color are not funny at all." ("Maybe I'm too woke, but Meme Vice's jokes about Johaira and her skin color are not funny at all.")
Another user, @tuesmeloveme, accused the comedian of abusing his influence on the program.
"Grabe talaga POWER TRIPPING ni VG, he thinks hes above everyone no? Porket sya ang biggest star dyan sa showtime. Nakakadiri. Nakakasuka. Doing this to a WOMAN, darkskin woman at that. This is bullying. I hope mtrcb will do something about this. This should not be normalized," ("VG is really power-tripping. He thinks he's above everyone just because he's the biggest star on It's Showtime. It's disgusting. It's revolting. Doing this to a woman, especially a dark-skinned woman, is bullying. I hope the MTRCB does something about this. This should not be normalized.") the post read.
User @beeyonceknight also criticized the segment, saying: "so disgusting. first time tayo magkaroon ng black popstar on national tv, and even that doesn't exempt her na maduraan ng tubig sa mukha at masabihang putik at kanal just because she's black." ("So disgusting. It's the first time we've had a Black pop star on national television, and even that doesn't exempt her from having water spat on her face and being called 'mud' and 'canal' just because she's Black.")
Meanwhile, @notoracism2026 linked the incident to previous controversies involving the television personality.
"You know someone looks down on you kung kaya ka niyang hagisan ng thingz sa mukha or bugahan ng tubig sa mukha from mouth." ("You know someone looks down on you when they can throw things at your face or spit water from their mouth onto your face.")
"It’s been more than 10 years since r@pe joke on Jessica Soho, wala pa ring character development Meme @vicegandako." ("It's been more than 10 years since the rape joke about Jessica Soho, and there's still no character development, Meme @vicegandako.")
"Rape jokes are not comedy. Racist jokes are not comedy. Body shaming is not comedy. Bullying is not comedy."
Another viewer, @auntieselina_, questioned whether the same incident would have been treated differently had another host been involved.
"Super bastos nito. Naimagine ko tuloy kung ibang Showtime host gumawa nito, baka hindi na muna pinapasok. Tsaka ako lang ba, eversince hindi na talaga nakakatawa ang Memerimar segment." ("This is extremely disrespectful. I can't help but imagine that if another Showtime host had done this, they probably wouldn't even be allowed on air for a while. And is it just me, or has the 'Memerimar' segment stopped being funny?")
"Sana nag-apologize siya kay Johaira. Wag tayong paurong, Meme." ("I hope he apologized to Johaira. Let's not take a step backward, Meme.") the user wrote.
User @acclangaccla, who described themselves as a fan of the comedian, also expressed disappointment.
"to be honest. I love VG pero this is getting out of touch na." ("To be honest, I love VG, but this is becoming out of touch.")
"Parang ginagawa nalang ewan si Johaira dito, pero if she were famous totally different story." ("It feels like Johaira is just being made the butt of the joke here, but if she were famous, it would be a totally different story.")
"we are against abuse and cruelty lalo na sa mga kababaihan pero bakit ganto parin tayo sa national tv tapos noontime show?" ("We are against abuse and cruelty, especially toward women, so why is this still happening on national television, on a noontime show?") the post read.
As of posting time, Vice Ganda, Johaira and “It's Showtime” had not publicly addressed the online criticism.
