Vice Ganda talks about the show he can’t live without: ‘Ikamamatay ko’

Vice Ganda

Vice Ganda never imagined he would end up hosting “It’s Showtime” for 10 years; he almost quit after his first year.

The job’s demands, plus his inability to keep pace with life in show biz and his surging popularity, left him feeling empty, he admitted.

“After the first season, I asked for permission [to quit]. That was around the time when I had come up with ‘sample’ and ‘may nag-text’ (jokes and gimmicks) every day. I felt drained,” he told reporters at a press conference for the noontime variety show’s 10th anniversary celebration, dubbed “Sampu-Sample!”

“The changes in my life happened so fast, and I couldn’t catch up. I felt like I couldn’t do the things I wanted to do. I couldn’t go out of the house o maghanap ng jowa!” he related. “I couldn’t do shows abroad and take side gigs, because I had to do ‘Showtime’ every day.”

It also didn’t help that he was earning only P5,000 a day. And while that’s a considerably larger sum than what average workers get, it’s still not nearly enough to cover his daily expenses.

“I didn’t have an assistant, makeup artist or a stylist. You have to pay for all of those, then you need to buy clothes, food, etc. I thought it wasn’t worth it. Parang lugi ako. I go home with nothing much left,” he related.

But more than anything, he thought his exhaustion sucked the funny out of him. “I felt like I wasn’t funny anymore, like I had already run out of jokes. I wanted to return to the comedy bar because I was feeling rusty,” the 43-year-old star recalled.

He wanted out. But instead of letting him leave, the management gave him a monthlong break instead, so he could recharge.

“I went on tour abroad. And that was when I realized that I actually missed the show, especially Anne (Curtis). She’s one of the main reasons that made me return,” he revealed.

After that, he had a meeting with his bosses to talk things over. “Now I’m at a point in my life where I can say that I can’t live without ‘It’s Showtime.’ Ikamamatay ko,” Vice stressed. “I now know it’s significance in my life.”