The three main hosts of “Eat, Bulaga!”—former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto, his youngest brother, musician and comedian Marvic, and composer and comedian Joey de Leon—acknowledged as architects and the creative minds behind the longest-running noontime television show in the world at 44 years, bade goodbye to the show’s producer, TAPE Inc.
The hosts of “Eat, Bulaga!” have been at odds with TAPE Inc. for several months over changes the production studio wanted to introduce, including letting go of long-serving staff that helped sustain the show for decades. There were also allegations of unpaid talent fees that run up to millions.
“Today, 31 May 2023, we are saying goodbye. But only to TAPE Inc.,” said Marvic Sotto, in addressing the live audience at the APT Studios, where the show is broadcasted. “Until next time, wherever fate takes us, one-thousand-and-one joy will continue. We love you,” he added.
Senator Sotto said everyone arrived at the APT Studios early Wednesday, prepared for the live broadcast. “We were ready to work but the new management didn’t allow us to go on air live,” said Senator Sotto.
“Eat, Bulaga!” first aired in July 1979 over RPN 9, then moved to ABS-CBN for six years but moved on to listed GMA Network where it consistently lorded it over the noon time slot. The show has a loyal following spanning several generations.
It is unclear how GMA will fill the noon time slot and compete with “Eat, Bulaga!’s” rival “Showtime,” which now airs over TV 5 and other platforms following the closure of ABS-CBN.
