On YouTube and Facebook alone, nearly a quarter of a million people watched the highly anticipated return of the ‘It’s Showtime’ host.
Vhong Navarro officially made his comeback to the noontime program, ‘It’s Showtime’, today, January 16. He took a pause from showbiz after his bail was granted last December over the rape case filed against him by actress-model, Deniece Cornejo.
The excitement for Navarro’s return was undeniably on a different level, as record-breaking concurrent viewerships were recorded across multiple platforms.
On YouTube alone, more than 160,000 live viewers tuned in to Kapamilya Online Live. That figure is nearly 40,000 more than the record set on the platform, by Vice Ganda and Amy Perez’s Magpasikat performance in November last year. It also beat the record set by Anne Curtis’ comeback episode in May 2022, which gathered more than 140,000 combined concurrent viewers on YouTube and Facebook.
The episode today, however, pushed the record several notches higher, as more than 245,000 combined viewers tuned in at the same time, on YouTube and Facebook. With the end of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano in August 2022, these numbers have become rare in primetime.
On Twitter, the episode’s official hashtag, #ShowtimeWowSwabe peaked at no.1, among the top trending topics nationwide, with many Kapamilya viewers and netizens expressing their excitement for Navarro.
“Back to normal na ang @itsShowtimeNa stage! Welcome Kuys @VhongX44,” tweeted Nette, who took notice of the completion of the show’s set of regular hosts. It can be noted, however, that Jhong Hilario was not present during the episode.
Back to normal na ang @itsShowtimeNa stage !
Welcome Kuys @VhongX44 #ShowtimeWowSwabe pic.twitter.com/skDUDKlMBp
— Nette De Jesus♥️💚💙 🇵🇭 (@nettedejesus2) January 16, 2023
“Sabi nga nung kanta, when you call me I’ll be there. Alam mo yan, lagi akong nandyan para sayo.” — Kim Chiu , “ said Maryjoy, quoting what Kim Chiu said to Navarro as her welcome message.
https://twitter.com/maryjoyenca_/status/1614863955348066305
“WALANG IWANAN SA PAMILYANG ‘TO! WE LOVE YOU KUYS VHONG, WELCOME BACK,” tweeted one of Kim Chiu’s fans.
WALANG IWANAN SA PAMILYANG 'TO! WE LOVE YOU KUYS VHONG, WELCOME BACK! 😭❤#ShowtimeWowSwabe #KimChiu @prinsesachinita pic.twitter.com/Hgg3May6rX
— kim chiu archives (@kimchiuarchives) January 16, 2023
Melvin can’t help but shed tears for Navarro, who himself, got teary eyed while making his first appearance on the show in months. “Literally crying while watching this! Welcome Back Vhong Navarro!, “ his tweet reads.
Literally crying while watching this! Welcome Back Vhong Navarro!#ItsShowtime #Showtime #ShowtimeWowSwabe #Philippines #ABSCBN pic.twitter.com/w9XliEHImG
— Melvssssss (@MelvinS1298) January 16, 2023
Navarro, during his impassioned comeback speech, expressed how excited and emotional he was.“Sabi ko pagpasok ko pa lang sa ABS-CBN, sabi ko ayokong umiyak, kasi eto yung pangalawang bahay ko e. Dito, kung ano man ang pinagdadaanan sa buhay, tanggap ka dito, ito yung pamilya ko… Kaya lang pagdating ko dito sa backstage, wala e, bumabagsak talaga,” he said, describing the whole show and its supporters his family.
It is expected that the actor-TV host will host the show tomorrow, as well as the subsequent episodes.
