It has also reached the people close to him and his family.
A recent episode of the podcast called Machong Chismisan, as well as its hosts led by Tito P, became the subject of ire of people online following their discussion that involved Josh Aquino, the eldest son of the Queen of All Media, Kris Aquino.
During the segment, they were comparing him with his younger brother, Bimby Aquino, wjom they called as the “good child,” while Josh was not described as such and was even described as “walang kwenta.”
Instead, one of the co-hosts brought up a claim that the latter gets a PHP3,000 allowance for school, which became one host’s precursor to a joke of the other: “Tapos nakatunganga lang siyang ganoon!”
Later on, one host called out the statement of his co-hosts, calling it a “low blow.”
Following the release of the episode, the clip of that specific portion of the podcast has circulated on social media and has become a subject of ire by netizens, who overwhelmingly sided with the Aquinos.
Many were critical of the fact that they decided to poke fun at person who is in the autism spectrum, while others also lambasted the fact that the said portion made it beyond the recording and was published for the world to see.
REACTIONS
As the clip circulated across different platforms, it has also reached many other personalities and groups.
Fashion designer Michael Leyva, who is known to be close to the Josh and his family, shared a message via Instagram story.
“I just found out that there’s a video circulating online of these grown men making fun of Kuya Joshua Aquino,” he said. “Making Kuya Josh the subject of your so-called ‘Machong Chismisan’ podcast and mocking his disability is not something that I or any of us should simply let slide.”
Leyva then described Josh as a “genuinely kind and intelligent person,” who deserves all the love and support this world has to offer and not the hurtful words that the hosts used to mock him.
“It is not funny, and it will never be funny,” he emphasized.
He then gave them a stern reminder: “Deleting the video from your YouTube channel will not make this issue go away. The internet keeps receipts. Good luck.”
Meanwhile, the Autism Society Philippines, for its part, also issued a reminder to all content creators and podcasters regarding Republic Act No. 7277, or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
In Republic Act No. 9442, it was also stated that the public ridicule and vilification of persons with disabilities are prohibited, with violations leading to fines or imprisonment.
“As a community, we must not give our precious time to watching creators and listening to podcasts not capable of basic respect,” the organization stressed.
It added, “Disability is not a punchline. Freedom of expression must never come at the expense of the rights and humanity of persons with disabilities.”
STATEMENTS FROM MACHONG CHISMISAN, THE POD NETWORK
On their social media page, the podcast’s host Makoy Pare said that they have already down the specific episode (Season 29, episode 20), which was published last October 5, 2026.
“Since 2014, Machong Chismisan has been a comedy podcast where hosts and guests are encouraged to speak freely with the ultimate goal of making each other and those who are listening laugh,” he wrote.
Although, he acknowledged that not all jokes or statements mentioned in every episode are funny, or are necessarily true.
The host said, “There has never been any intention to malign or punch down for the sake of likes or views, nor to raise ourselves to be a platform where the people speaking are always correct, or always funny.”
He then noted that it became clear to their side that some remarks made during the deleted episode were “inexcusably insensitive and hurtful,” and decided to remove the episode to prevent further harm to all parties.
Makoy Pare then extended their apologies to everyone who was offended in the said episode, including the PWD community and those mentioned in the episode—with him noting that their camp will reach out through private channels to determine how to proceed and make amends in a respectful manner.
“Moving forward, we will be more diligent in reviewing episodes and calling out immediately, in real time, remarks that could possibly be hurtful to anyone or any group,” they said.
He also urged anyone who felt offended over the remarks aired to akr their grievances directly to their page, as it will be dealt with and reviewed according to their standards and practices.
“We will carry on knowing that while we cannot please everyone, we can be held accountable and strive to better ourselves,” Makoy Pare continued.
“We cannot always make everyone laugh, but we will always ensure that those who actually listen will not forget that laughter is the goal. Even if it is not always the result.”
For its part, The Pod Network Entertainment (TPN) also issued its own response to the matter.
“We have received concerns from listeners about remarks made about a person with a disability in a recent episode of Machong Chismisan,” the company said.
It also stated that they take these concerns seriously.
“Persons with disabilities and neurodivergent individuals deserve dignity and respect, and that includes how they are talked about on our shows. We are sorry for the hurt this has caused,” TPN added.
They also stressed that their creators speak in their own voices, and their views do not reflect those of the network.
“But as the platform that carries their shows, we should still be mindful of what we share with the public,” they emphasized.
The POD Network also said that they are aware of the deleted episode in question.
“We are reviewing how this episode was published and strengthening our processes. The episode has been taken down while we review it. We are formalizing editorial guidelines across all TPN shows on how we handle disability, mental health, minors and family members of public figures, and other sensitive topics,” they shared.
Lastly, ti everyone who reached out: “thank you for letting us know.”
Josh and his mother Kris Aquino’s camp has not yet issued any statement regarding the matter.
