Baby Dolls member Juby Sabino drew criticism online after sharing her dream involving actor Donny Pangilinan during her guest appearance on Vice Ganda’s “Gandang Gabi Vice.”
Juby appeared on the show with her fellow Baby Dolls members on Sunday, Oct. 18, when Vice Ganda asked them about their celebrity crushes.
“Ang tanong, para kanino ba talaga ang ‘giling-giling n’yo?’” the comedian asked, referring to the popular lyrics of the group’s trending track, “Oohh Lala Baby.”
While other members named their celebrity crushes, including Darren Espanto, River Joseph, Adie, Joseph Marco, James Reid, and Brent Manalo, Juby named Donny.
The singer then performed a brief dance to the track, replacing its lyrics with the actor’s name.
When Vice Ganda flashed a photo of Donny on the screen, the comedian teased Juby over her enthusiastic reaction to the actor’s image.
Juby then explained that there was more to her admiration for the actor than simply seeing his photo.
“Meme may backstory kasi ‘yan,” she said.
“Mas malala d’yan, Meme. Hindi ko kasi siya talaga crush na crush. Tapos on a random night, napanaginipan ko s’ya,” Juby shared.
“Napanaginipan ko siya kinikeme niya ako,” she revealed, prompting shocked reactions and laughter from Vice Ganda and her fellow members.
Vice Ganda then asked whether the supposed act had been completed, saying, “Natapos?”
“Opo,” Juby replied with a laugh.
While some viewers found the anecdote amusing, others criticized the singer’s remarks, with several netizens and Donny’s fans raising concerns about the sexualization of the actor.
An X user expressed disappointment in a post that garnered more than 2,000 likes, arguing that sharing intimate details of a dream involving a real person for entertainment was different from simply having the dream.
“Having a dream and choosing to make its intimate details about a real person public entertainment are two separate things. The fact that it was treated as a funny little anecdote instead of something worth questioning is what makes it uncomfortable. […] Basic respect shouldn’t depend on someone’s gender. Yuck. So disappointing,” the post read.
Another user echoed the sentiment, pointing out that concerns about sexualization and objectification should apply regardless of gender.
“If the roles were reversed [and] women were being sexualized and objectified, we’d call it out. But darling, it goes both ways, regardless of gender,” the user wrote.
“Men can be victims of sexualization [and] harassment too. […] Suddenly, it’s okay to sexualize [and] objectify someone just [because] he’s a man? Being attracted to someone doesn’t give [you] a free pass to objectify them,” the user added.
Meanwhile, Donny’s official fan group, Donators Philippines Official, expressed concern and disappointment over the incident in a statement posted on its official X account on Monday, Oct. 19.
“Donators Philippines Official expresses its concern and disappointment over the recent controversy involving Showtime Baby Doll’s Juby and Donny Pangilinan, specifically the concerns surrounding the sexualized nature of the remarks and their implications for his dignity and respect,” the statement read.
“Our position is clear: we do not support the sexualization of Donny Pangilinan or of any individual. We ask the public to approach this matter responsibly and to recognize that respect for personal dignity should never be overlooked for the sake of entertainment,” the group added.
As of writing, Vice Ganda, Juby, and Donny have yet to publicly address the controversy.
