MANILA — Comedian Vice Ganda weighed in on the controversy surrounding Joey de Leon after the veteran host’s joke about ABS-CBN during a recent episode of Eat Bulaga on TV5 went viral and drew criticism online.

A report said in an interview with members of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) on April 27, Vice said comedy naturally invites different reactions from audiences.

“E, siyempre, hindi natin masasaklawan ang komedyante. Hindi rin natin masasaklawan ang reaksiyon ng mga taong makakarinig ng joke,” he said.

“So, that’s life, ‘di ba? E, komedyante si Sir Joey, nag-joke siya. E, trabaho niya ‘yun. Nagdyo-joke siya,” he added.

The issue stemmed from an April 23 Eat Bulaga episode aired on TV5, where Joey made a remark that viewers interpreted as a joke about ABS-CBN during the “The Age is Right” segment featuring Mister Pampanga 2026 candidate RJ Perkins.

During the segment, Joey interrupted the interview and said: “Saka hindi na uso ‘yung abs. Wala na nga ‘yung abs, e.”

When co-hosts pointed out he may have been referring to something else, he clarified: “Ay, ABS-CBN pala ‘yun, sorry, sorry.”

The comment quickly circulated online and drew criticism from some viewers who described it as insensitive toward the media network.