GROWING UP, many of us had witnessed the rise of love teams that delivered a series of kiligs on our television. They made us scream at the top of our lungs whenever one wooed the other, even to the point of hitting someone sitting beside us out of excitement.
In 2015, the rise of AlDub prompted many people to drop what they were doing in hopes of keeping up with the happenings between Alden Richards and Yaya Dub (Maine Mendoza).
Whenever ‘Eat Bulaga’ streams Kalyeserye, all of the Filipinos’ eyes are on the screen as they follow the love story of Aldub.
The team had later grown an attraction among many Filipinos, dubbing them the best love team during their prime. People have created fanfics on their stories as well as a fan club that people come to call “Aldub Nation.”
As time went on, Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards had separated their time as a love team and went on with their lives. Maine Mendoza, who was once famously known as Yaya Dub, got married to actor Arjo Atayde as Alden further went into his career as an actor.
Despite Aldub being finished many years ago, many fans are still hoping for a comeback between the two and have even reached the point where fans would become hostile by urging the two to have a comeback.
Maine Mendoza confessed her feelings for Alden
At the height of the fame of Aldub a decade ago, Maine Mendoza confessed that she fell in love with her former love team, Alden Richards, on the podcast “Tamang Panahon” on August 17.
In the podcast episode, a social media user asked whether she and Alden had loved each other more than friends and whether or not Richards had courted Mendoza.
The actress later responded with a straight answer, “ako, na-in love talaga ako kay Alden. Vocal naman ako.”
“Na-in love ako sa kaniya, pero hindi siya nanligaw. Walang ganoon,” she added.
She pointed out that the actor knew how she felt toward him, voicing out that she was vocal about it to all people, including Alden. “Alam ni Alden ‘yun, sinabi ko naman sa kaniya, rekta, pero hindi siya nanligaw. Friends lang kami.”
The actress also recalled asking Alden about his feelings, to which he answered, “Di ko pwedeng sabihin sa ‘yo kasi mawawala ‘yung magic.”
“Gusto ko lang malaman. Kung ano man ‘yan, tatanggapin ko naman,” she added.
In a 2023 interview with Boy Abunda, Alden Richards admitted to falling in love with Maine Mendoza, stating that he’d be a hypocrite if he said that he has not fallen in love with Maine Mendoza.
“Ayokong sabihin na alam niya, pero I did confess,” he added.
The two remained on good terms and eventually talked things through. “Grabe ‘yung relationship din namin ni Alden off-cam,” she shared. “Pero may closure naman kaming dalawa. Napag-usapan namin lahat, pero roller coaster din kaming dalawa.”
Everyone had already moved on
Following the revelation of Maine Mendoza on the recent podcast, the actress reached out on X, asking fans to stop criticizing Alden Richards following the revelation she made.
“Okay, so about the last podcast episode. Una sa lahat, I didn’t think the part about my story with Alden would spark controversy, let alone be a big deal, considering that everyone had already moved on from Kalyeserye and AlDub.” She wrote.
“From the start, I hoped the clashes between fans on both sides would end, at least, even though the hate train aimed at me was nonstop then and apparently still remains so,” she added.
In her X post, she stated that the point of their podcast is to look back on Kalyeserye and to discuss the untold stories that happened behind the scenes. She then added that she believes that it’s not a bad thing to share a personal story related to the topic as long as it’s factual.
“There was no malice or ill intent behind my sharing that story about myself, him, and us. There are countless other stories I’ve kept to myself and chosen not to share. You know how podcasts work; they can be really personal, but ours didn’t even go that far. All stories shared were surface-level.”
Mendoza continued, “Why pit a woman against a man, as if there’s a competition for who’s more ‘successful’? Success, in this sense, is ridiculously measured and defined by career ‘achievements’ as if our lives revolve solely around our jobs. In the grand scheme of things, what is really there to prove? All the hatred and comparisons—what for, really?”
She later clarified that there were no hard feelings amongst the hosts of Eat Bulaga, stating that they all moved on and the past remains there.
“We can revisit and reflect on the good and the bad with a peaceful heart,” she shared.”
