Actress Julia Barretto has sparked online buzz with a series of cryptic Instagram Stories that many believe are aimed at her estranged father, actor Dennis Padilla.
On Thursday, April 10, Julia reposted several quotes about narcissistic parents, just days after Padilla aired his grievances over feeling like an outsider at the wedding of his daughter, Claudia Barretto, to longtime partner Basti Lorenzo.
The quotes Julia shared—originally from Anthony Bompiani—read: “A narcissist doesn’t care about being a good parent—they just care about looking like one.”
“To a narcissist, the kids are just pawns in their war to break you.”
“A narcissist’s favorite role? The victim. Because it distracts from the damage they caused.”
Julia added no captions to the reposts and later deleted them from her Stories. However, screenshots of the posts have since circulated widely online, prompting speculation that they were directed at her father.
The timing of her posts coincided with Padilla’s recent interview with vlogger Ogie Diaz, where he emotionally recounted how he was hurt by his perceived exclusion from Claudia’s wedding on April 8. Although Dennis was invited and present at the ceremony, he said he felt like a mere guest rather than the “father of the bride.”
“GRABE KAYO!! NABUDOL NYO AKO! FATHER OF THE BRIDE NAGING VISITOR! GALING NYO!” Padilla wrote in a now-deleted social media post.
He explained in the interview that Claudia personally invited him during a dinner with his three children—Julia, Claudia, and Leon—three weeks before the wedding. This gave him the impression that he would have a significant role in the ceremony.
“The welcome I had that night was so lively. And then sabi ni Claui, ‘I want you to look good.’ So the feeling I got was that she wanted me to look good for a reason,” he shared.
To his surprise, it was his ex-wife Marjorie Barretto who walked Claudia down the aisle. Dennis said he would have understood his limited role had he been told ahead of time.
“So I can decide if I want to still go or not. At least may reasoning sila. Hindi ako puwedeng mag-vent out kung sinabihan ako.”
Padilla also revealed that Claudia had called him hours before the ceremony to say the wedding would not push through, only to call back later saying it would. He described the experience as one of the most painful moments of his life.
Adding to the tension, Dennis left a scathing comment—“Kapal nyo.”—on one of Julia’s Instagram posts the day after the wedding. Though unrelated to the event, it was quickly deleted after netizens took screenshots and shared it across social media.
In his emotional interview, Padilla said he is done trying to reconnect with his children.
“Ayoko na. Surrender na. I’m finished… Tatay na lang nila ako, pero bringing back the relationship? Wala na siguro,” he said.
He ended with a dramatic farewell: “Maybe the last time that you will see me, sa loob na ng kabaong ko ‘yun. Di na ako makakaiwas. Di ko naman kayo iba-ban doon. Anak ko kayo e. Kung gusto niyo mag-donate ng biscuit, puwede rin naman ‘yun.”
Julia, Claudia, and Leon are Dennis’s children with former partner Marjorie Barretto. While the siblings have yet to officially address their father’s recent comments, Leon posted a touching open letter for Claudia after her wedding, encouraging her and Basti to “protect [their] peace and joy.”
