Is it the end of the Eat Bulaga! journey for Maine Mendoza, the dubsmash girl who shot to fame as Yaya Dub?
In an Instagram post on May 31, Maine posted photos of the Eat Bulaga stage, the props used in the Philippines’ longest running variety show, and other behind the scenes, and captioned it, “Hanggang sa muli, dabarkads.”
She also tagged the Eat Bulaga account, as she expressed her gratitude for the show that made her a household name.
Earlier in the day, Eat Bulaga’s main hosts, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon announced their departure from TAPE INC., the producer of Eat Bulaga!
"Simula ngayong araw, May 31, 2023, kami po ay magpapaalam na sa TAPE, Incorporated… Karangalan po namin na kami nakapaghatid ng tuwa't saya, mula Batanes hanggang Jolo at naging bahagi ng buhay ninyo,” the trio said in a statement.
They also addressed their fans through a social media livestream, lamenting that they were not allowed to go on-air. The noontime show aired a replay for its Wednesday episode.
"Maraming-maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Hanggang sa muli! Saan man kami dalhin ng tadhana, tuloy ang isang libo’t isang tuwa,” the hosts said.
In an interview with PEP last month, Tito Sotto said the Eat Bulaga hullabaloo began earlier this year, when Romy Jalosjos, majority owner of TAPE, wanted to reinvent Eat Bulaga!. The reinvention meant retiring everyone, or considering rehiring old staffers under a new salary scale.
READ: Maine Mendoza: 'Alden and I are just friends. We are a love team.'
Maine was barangay host of noontime show Eat Bulaga's segment "Juan for All, All for One" for several years. Back in November 2017, Maine almost left the show, as she admitted that her partnership with Alden Richards was not for real, to the dismay of thousands of fans.
Maine is now engaged to actor, and now Rep. Arjo Atayde.