Regine Tolentino and Shay Mitchell | Image: Instagram/@reginetolentino
Actress-host Regine Tolentino took to social media to share that she and Canadian actress Shay Mitchell are second cousins after the latter made a statement seemingly denying her Filipino roots.
The Filipina professional dancer shared an old photo of her and Mitchell, saying it was taken when the latter visited the country with her mom.
“With my gorgeous cousin, [shaymitchell]. Fun fact: this pic was taken during her trip to Manila with her mom. We are second cousins [kisses and Philippine flag emojis],” wrote Tolentino in her caption.
In the comments section, one netizen joked, “You can’t be cousins. ‘Cause she’s Spanish,” referencing the statement Mitchell had made.
Tolentino simply replied to the netizen’s comment, “Haha, IKR (I know right) [laughing emoji].”
Image: Instagram/@reginetolentino
Mitchell recently displeased the Filipino community after she claimed in a variety show that her “dad’s Irish and her mom’s Spanish,” despite saying in an interview in 2013 that “being a half-Filipino is a big part of who she is.”
After the “Pretty Little Liars” statement, Filipino-German beauty queen Maureen Wroblewitz shared her “confusion” as to why Mitchell said that.
Wroblewitz then extended her hope that Filipinos abroad would heal from their trauma of discrimination, even as she shared that she had a rather pleasant experience being half-Filipino.
“Maybe I’m privileged to have never been picked on for being Filipino. I grew up in Saudi Arabia with people from all over the globe, and when I was in Germany, I was the only Asian in my class. Most people in my school had never heard of the Philippines, but I would be so proud to educate them,” she said.
Meanwhile, in 2021, Mitchell voiced Alexandra Trese in the Filipino animated series “Trese,” given her Filipino heritage. She also served as one of the executive producers of the series “Cleaning Lady,” a crime drama centered around a Filipina domestic helper.