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Joey de Leon courts MTRCB action after ‘lubid’ joke on ‘Gimme 5’ segment of ‘EAT’

By: September 25, 2023
(From left) Vic Sotto, a contestant on "EAT," Joey de Leon. Image: Screengrab from Facebook/TVJ

(From left) Vic Sotto, a contestant on “EAT,” Joey de Leon. Image: Screengrab from Facebook/TVJ

TV host Joey de Leon has once again found himself at the center of controversy after he made a joke pertaining to “lubid” or rope during the “Gimme 5” segment of noontime show “EAT” last Sept. 23.

In a video captured by one @AltStarMagic on X (formerly Twitter), de Leon can be seen interacting with a contestant who was thinking of answers for things that can be put around a person’s neck.

“Lubid, lubid. Nakakalimutan niyo. Lubid (Rope, rope. You might forget. Rope),” said de Leon, apparently in reference to the use of the twisted yarn in some suicide cases.

The host-comedian’s remarks drew the ire of netizens and mental health advocates, with many calling him out for being “insensitive” to the topic of suicide, and to the plight of those with mental health struggles.

ALSO READ: Joey de Leon muling nagpatutsada sa TAPE at Eat Bulaga ng GMA, pero inokray ng bashers: ‘Ang corny naman po…itigil n’yo na kakahirit n’yo!

“‘It’s Showtime’ got suspended for doing something completely normal. Joey De Leon, again, making problematic insensitive jokes about mental health, and their show still goes on,” one @eisu_bry said.

“Joey de Leon thinks his humor still sells in this era of progressiveness and social consciousness. pack it up, grandpa. you’re only funny to misogynistic and self-righteous boomers,” another @tinkyounato wrote.

Mental health advocate RJ Naguit called the attention of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to take action, saying de Leon’s remarks are “triggering” to viewers.

ALSO READ: ‘Eat Bulaga’ brand: The excruciating battle for its ownership 

“Hi @MTRCBgov! Reminding you of the media guidelines on suicide reporting that your office has released/signed up to. Hope you can do something about this show that might be triggering for some viewers,” he said.

 

X user @MMMNGBSWG hoped that MTRCB chairperson Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio — daughter of “EAT” host Tito Sotto — would “do [her] job,” as suicide is not a “laughing matter.”

“Calling the attention of the MTRCB to summon EAT’s Joey De Leon for making the use of the s-word a laughing matter. Please sanction him and impose punishment for this. Jokes about the s-word should not be tolerated. Lala Sotto, please do your job,” the post read.

Another @theprudentJM said taking one’s life is not a laughing matter.

 

Touching on the topic of suicide vis a vis de Leon’s remark, X users @frenchfernande2 and @jsesduyro posted about the late actress Pepsi Paloma’s death by hanging.

 

This is not the first time de Leon drew backlash for his remarks when it comes to the topic of mental health. In October 2017, the veteran host-comedian previously drew flak for his apparent dismissal of depression as a “made-up illness” in the noontime show “Eat Bulaga,” to which he apologized days later.

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If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)

Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.

TAGS: controversy, eat, Joey de Leon, joke, MTRCB
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