Jeon Cyrus, a contestant on It’s Showtime’s “KalokaLike” segment, has addressed harsh criticism and hate comments after impersonating his idol, P-pop supergroup SB19’s Stell Ajero.
Following his September 3 performance on the Kapamilya noontime show, the Cebuano impersonator has been bombarded with negative comments, not just about his appearance but also regarding the P-pop idol.
Jeon took to his Facebook account to express his feelings about the hate comments and insults he’s been receiving after appearing in the segment as Stell.
In his post, he shared his gratitude for the supportive messages while also announcing his temporary break from social media due to the overwhelming negativity.
“I’m quite sensitive to hurtful words, but I prepared myself for the possibility of negative comments before accepting the offer to be seen on national TV,” Jeon wrote.
He explained that while he wasn’t hurt by people laughing at his appearance, what truly broke his heart was seeing people blame him for potentially increasing the hate toward Stell, who had recently been involved in discussions about “fame shame” and “visual” issues.
“I’m not upset by those who laughed at my appearance […] What really broke my heart, though, is seeing people create stories that somehow, because of me, Kuya Stell might face more bashing,” he explained.
Jeon added, “It’s painful to read comments blaming me, saying that Kuya Stell will receive more hurtful remarks because of my appearance and nakakahiya daw sa fandom, with some even suggesting I shouldn’t have participated.”
Jeon also clarified that it was ABS-CBN who reached out to him for the segment, and he saw it as an opportunity to showcase his talents and share his love for performing.
He emphasized that his intentions were pure, aiming to bring joy to the audience and pay tribute to SB19 through his performance.
“I did my very best to give everyone a great show through my talent. But please, stop accusing me of fueling the fire that might bring more negativity towards Kuya Stell,” wrote Jeon.
Jeon concluded his post by expressing his gratitude to his fellow SB19 fans, known as A’TIN, and his group, “TITANS”. He hoped his performance made them proud and thanked everyone for their encouragement amidst the backlash.
“I hope I made my fellow A’TIN proud by performing an SB19 song, and I’m incredibly grateful to my group TITANS for showing me love and support. Thank you, everyone!”
In the post’s comment section, Jeon received support from fans in the comment section of his post, who commended him for his bravery and performance on It’s Showtime.
