Kapuso actress Jillian Ward has finally broken her silence on the malicious accusations linking her and her mother, Jennifer Ward, to false claims circulating online — including allegations that her mother was “selling” her to wealthy benefactors and rumors connecting her to former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson.
Appearing emotional in her interview on ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ on Tuesday, October 21, the 20-year-old actress tearfully refuted the accusations that have hounded her for years.
When Boy Abunda directly asked her, “Is it true that your mother is pimping you?” Jillian firmly denied it.
“’Yung sinasabi po nila na ibinebenta daw ako ng mother ko kaya daw po ako may mga investment. Siyempre, nakakabastos po ’yon sa mother ko, kasi iniisip ko din ’yung fifteen years of hard work ko. Parang itinatapon lang nila lahat ng iyon dahil sa fake news. Sobra po ’yung disrespect talaga sa comments,” she said, visibly emotional.
She continued, “Sobrang sakit talaga, Tito Boy, kasi my parents didn’t raise me that way. And lahat ng meron ako, pinagpaguran ko, and my mom would never do that to me. And sobrang nasasaktan ako kasi hindi po talaga ganoon ’yung mom ko. Sorry, kasi nadadamay siya sa lahat ng ito.”
According to Jillian, her mother has never taken a share from her earnings. “Actually, lahat po ng pinag-iipunan ko, walang kinukuha ’yung mother ko. Lahat po ng meron ako, hinahayaan niyang i-invest ko for myself.”
She emphasized, “Everything I have, everything I own, everything I post, everything I flex, I bought it with my own money. Alam po ng GMA ’yan. Alam ng lahat ng kaibigan ko. Alam mo po ’yan, Tito Boy. I would not lie about that, so I am so offended for my mother especially, kasi she did not raise me that way.”
Jillian also addressed the circulating rumor claiming that a “sponsor” was caught on CCTV entering a hotel’s back door during her 18th birthday celebration on February 25, 2023.
“Sinasabi nila meron daw CCTV footage. Pumupunta daw ako sa hotels to be with old men na binibigyan po ako ng cars. Ini-sponsor-an yung debut ko. It’s not real, at kung meron silang CCTV footage, I dare them ilabas po iyon. Kasi wala po talaga and sana po kung maglalabas sila, hindi AI.”
She added, “Para matapos na po, if meron kayong footage na ganoon, ilabas po nila kasi wala po talaga. Nakaka-frustrate na for four years, I kept silent and I couldn’t defend myself.”
Jillian shared that these rumors began when she was only 16 years old and have resurfaced repeatedly over the years.
“Actually, nag-start po ito four years ago, I was sixteen. And at the time, ayoko pong magsalita kasi laging sinasabi sa akin, if it’s not real, hindi mo kailangan magsalita. Tapos, every year, nagre-resurface po siya. Then last week, lumabas na naman po siya,” she said.
“At first, I thought it was just a meme because the stories were so absurd,” she added. “So, tinawanan ko lang po siya nung una. Then, nung nagbasa po ako ng comments, sobrang na-hurt na po talaga ako kasi sobra po ’yung pambabastos ng mga tao because of fake news. So, it took me four years to speak about it. And ’yung pinaka-turning point po sa akin is ’yung family ko, binabastos na rin po, especially my mom. So, sabi ko, enough na po.”
Jillian also denied the long-running rumor that she had a special relationship with former Governor Chavit Singson, stressing that she has never even met him.
“Never ko po siyang nakilala. Never ko po siyang na-meet. Never ko siyang nakausap, never po kaming nagkita,” Jillian said. “Hindi ko alam kung paano nila nagawa-gawa lahat ng ito kasi never ko po talaga siyang na-meet. Hindi ko nga po alam kung kilala niya ako.”
She also denied claims that Singson was a sponsor at her debut or a godfather to one of her siblings. “Hindi po talaga totoo. I never met him. Never po kaming nag-usap.”
Earlier, Singson himself dismissed the rumors, saying they were “puro Marites lang.”
Jillian revealed that she had considered leaving showbiz because of the relentless online attacks, but after much prayer and reflection, she decided to stay. She also said she is considering legal action for cyber libel, with the guidance of GMA Network.
The episode ended on an emotional note, with Boy Abunda giving Jillian a bouquet of flowers and a comforting hug, choosing to skip the show’s traditional “Fast Talk” segment.
Jillian Ward is set to star in the upcoming Kapuso action-drama series ‘Never Say Die’ alongside David Licauco and Kim Ji Soo.
