The Pod Network announced on Thursday, Oct. 15, that it had formally ended its contract with “Machong Chismisan,” removing the show from its roster effective immediately. The move followed a clip from the podcast’s Oct. 5 episode, “Ang Pagbabalik ni Kris Aquino,” that spread online. In it, the hosts made dismissive comments about Josh and compared him with his younger brother Bimby, and were heard laughing as they did.
Before cutting ties, the network had already apologized. It acknowledged its responsibility as a platform that carries creators’ work and said persons with disabilities and neurodivergent people deserve dignity and respect in how they are discussed. It also noted that creators’ views don’t necessarily reflect its own.
The podcast removed the episode and stopped promoting clips from it. In a statement posted Oct. 14, host Tito P said his remarks were disparaging, that they hurt people who relate to Josh’s condition and families who love someone like him, and that he was seeking professional advice to be more accountable. A separate statement from the show offered apologies to Kris, Josh and the Aquino family, as well as the disability community, saying the apology “is not enough to erase the pain” but that the hosts want to show they are willing to learn.
Television host Boy Abunda, on his show, called the remarks hurtful to Josh and to every family raising a child with a disability. He said that if Kris asked for his opinion, he would advise her to consider legal action. We found no public statement from Kris Aquino about the incident in the reports we reviewed, and no report of a case being filed.
The episode has revived a wider conversation about how disability is treated as material for jokes online. Josh, Abunda recalled, has long been a gentle presence in the family, including leading the household’s daily prayer.
For creators and platforms, the lesson is simple: comedy that mocks a person with a disability isn’t edgy; it’s harmful. Audiences and advertisers are watching.
