Gelli de Belen, Ariel Rivera’s sons not interested to join show biz

Gelli de Belen and Ariel Rivera with their sons, Julio and Joaquin | Images: Instagram/@gellidebelen

Long-term celebrity couple Gelli de Belen and Ariel Rivera asked their sons Julio and Joaquin if they were interested in joining show business, and the two brothers said doing so was never an option for them.

Sitting down for de Belen’s vlog, Rivera said that people always asked him if their children were ever interested in working in the entertainment industry, so he took the opportunity to ask the kids himself. 

“People always ask me quite a bit about this if you guys are interested in getting into our line of work, so has it crossed your mind? Is it an option?” asked the singer. 

Julio responded that the idea never crossed his mind, noting his inability to speak proper Filipino to work in Philippine show biz. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever. Never. Never been a want. I don’t know. I think understanding the nature of show biz, I don’t think I would be particularly good at it. Hindi nga ako marunong mag Tagalog,” he said.

Joaquin echoed his brother’s sentiments, saying, “No, definitely not for me. You guys I’m even worse with Filipino.” 

Julio and Joaquin are living in Canada under the care of their grandparents from their father’s side, and occasionally travels to the Philippines to be with their parents. 

When asked how they feel about having celebrity parents, the boys answered candidly, saying it’s their reality and they have accepted it despite the good and bad things that come with it. 

“I think we grew up with it. It’s always felt like second nature. Like this is our normal. It doesn’t feel weird ‘cause it’s kind of like, I don’t know any other way of,” said Julio. 

“When you grow up you start to see others’ perspectives on life and this kind of… honestly I think sometimes a blessing and a curse. Me and Kuya we’re like private people and I don’t like to share a lot,” he added. 

Joaquin agreed with his younger brother’s sentiments and noted the special treatment they received, but also the unreal intentions they tend to receive from others.

“There’s good and bad, obviously there are times we do get special treatment because of you guys, but that also does come with people who aren’t always honest with us or they can be fake towards us,” he opened up. 

“So we had to learn to figure out who really wanted to be like our friend for us or for you, who is just trying to get close [because of you guys],” added Joaquin. 

De Belen and Rivera have been married for 25 years and they met in the showbiz industry.