Philippine TV Show 'Eat Bulaga' Disappeared From the Airwaves Suddenly — What Happened?

One of the longest-running shows in the Philippines has announced a pretty major shakeup. The show, which is called Eat Bulaga!, has been a staple of Philippine TV for 44 years, but recently, a huge change came to the program that many regular viewers want to learn more about.

The change, which was announced on May 31, 2023, meant that the show’s regular hosts were unable to go live with their program the way they usually would.

The show recently announced that they have parted ways with their production company, Television and Production Exponent (Tape) Inc. According to the show’s hosts, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, the studio did not allow them to film their live show on May 31.

As a result, it seems the show is effectively ending, at least in the format that viewers have become accustomed to over the last 40-plus years.

On the show’s YouTube channel, Tito explained the situation in a video. “We arrived here today for our usual work but we were forbidden to air live by the new management,” he explained in Filipino. The video continued with the hosts expressing gratitude to both their advertisers and their fans for the loyalty they had shown to the series over its more than 40 years on the air.

Tito was unclear about whether the show would continue or not, but used the video to express gratitude that they had been able to make their home at Tape Studios.

"If you all remember, July 30, 1979, when we started Eat Bulaga. Forty-four years this year. That's why we are very thankful to those who have been our home – RPN9 for nine years, ABS-CBN for six years, and GMA for 28 years. Thank you very much," he said.

He then added that the decision to leave the production studio had been one of the most difficult that the hosts had ever had to make.

"We will no longer say all the things we have in our hearts but we just want to work peacefully, without aggravation and with respect to everyone,” the hosts explained.

Eat Bulaga! is one of the longest-running variety shows in the history of the Philippines, and it regularly aired during the noontime hour Filipino television. The show's lengthy history on the air means that its fairly sudden disappearance will likely come as a shock to many of the people who made the show a part of their regular routines.

They didn’t provide any definitive answers as to where the show might go from here, or what they had planned for the future. Instead, they just hugged each other and expressed their love for their fans one last time.

"We are honored to be able to deliver happiness from Batanes to Jolo and become a part of your life,” the video concluded. “Thank you all so much. Until then. Wherever destiny takes us, tuloy ang isang libo't isang tuwa. We love you.”