Production Specialists, Inc., a company owned by Romeo Jalosjos Sr., came up with the idea of creating a noontime show for Radio Philippines Network. Antonio Tuviera argued that Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ, would be the "perfect" hosts for the show. At a meeting at the InterContinental Manila, Tuviera made an offer to them which was accepted. De Leon coined the term "Eat Bulaga" as the title of the show and owns its copyright.
Eat Bulaga! premiered on July 30, 1979, with its pilot episode filmed at the RPN Live Studio 1 in Broadcast City, Quezon City. Chiqui Hollmann and Richie D'Horsie also served as the original hosts. The theme song was composed by Vic Sotto with Vincent Dy Buncio and Pancho Oppus and musically arranged by Homer Flores. During the show's first few months, it was on the brink of cancellation due to "stiff" competition and lack of advertisers, despite having their advertising rates reduced to ₱750 (equivalent to ₱25,497 in 2021) and the hosts' lack of salary for over a year.
De Leon said that he and the Sotto brothers did not sign a contract with the show when they were offered the opportunity to become hosts. Vic Sotto said that he accepted the offer and would stop once he had money to buy a personal vehicle. De Leon also said that the show was supposed to be a short-term job. After two years, the trio decided to stay with the show. The show gained top-rating status in 1980 with the segment "Mr. Macho". Production Specialists Inc. went bankrupt and dissolved sometime in July 1980 and the production of the show was handed over to Television and Production Exponents, Inc. on July 7, 1981. In 1982, Coney Reyes joined the show as the newest host.
In the aftermath of the People Power Revolution, the show went off the air from February 27 to March 1, 1986, due to the transmitter of RPN being disabled by reformist soldiers. In 1987, Aiza Seguerra joined the show after Little Miss Philippines. Eat Bulaga! left the Broadcast City complex on December 2, 1987, and transferred to Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City the next day, owing to RPN being beset by periodic change of management. The compounded situation led to Tony Tuviera's decision to start negotiations with ABS-CBN to eventually transfer the show.
Eat... Bulaga! moved to ABS-CBN under a co-production agreement due to problems brought about by the sequestration of RPN. On February 18, 1989, the show premiered on its new home with a TV special titled Eat... Bulaga!: Moving On, staged at the Araneta Coliseum. The show's tenth anniversary celebration was held on September 23, 1989, at the Araneta Coliseum.
In 1994, ABS-CBN attempted to purchase the broadcast rights to the show from TAPE Inc. The offer was rejected by Antonio Tuviera and Malou Choa-Fagar, leading the network to give Eat... Bulaga! an ultimatum to leave by January 1995.
Eat Bulaga! began its transition from ABS-CBN Studio 1 to the Celebrity Sports Plaza on October 1, 1994, as part of its preparation for the switch to a new network. The move was finalized on January 19, 1995, during a contract signing between TAPE Inc. and GMA Network executives at the Makati Shangri-La, Manila. Subsequently, the show premiered on GMA Network on January 28, 1995, with a special episode titled Eat... Bulaga!: The Moving!.
Toni Rose Gayda, Allan K., Samantha Lopez, and Francis Magalona joined Eat Bulaga! as co-hosts, expanding the show's roster. Gayda and Allan K. officially became co-hosts on January 7, 1995, while Lopez and Magalona joined on January 14, 1995. Anjo Yllana became a host on March 28, 1998, further solidifying the program's appeal. By the year 2000, Eat Bulaga! had made history as the first noontime variety show in the Philippines to award millions of pesos in prizes through its popular segment Laban o Bawi, which quickly became a favorite among viewers. Wally Bayola joined the show on April 1, 2000, initially serving as an off-screen jester. His role was to entertain the studio audience during commercial breaks and announce introductions for the show's segments.
Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special episode aired from Expo Pilipino on November 19, 2004. This celebration, titled Eat Bulaga! Silver Special, was broadcast on November 27 and 29, 2004. The show received the Best Entertainment (One-Off/Annual) Special award at the Asian Television Awards in Singapore on December 1, 2005. SexBomb Girls left the show due to a dispute with the producers and were replaced by the EB Babes on January 7, 2006. They returned to the show on March 3, 2007, and departed again on January 29, 2011. EB Babes continued as regular performers until February 23, 2019, when they left due to contract expiration and other business decisions. In September 2007, de Leon began an on-screen feud with Willie Revillame, leading to the Hello Pappy scandal, which became a significant controversy over allegations of the segment possibly being rigged by the producers.
On March 6, 2009, Vic Sotto announced the death of Francis Magalona, who succumbed to leukemia. A tribute episode for Magalona, who also coined the term "Dabarkads", was aired the following day. The show aired a 30th anniversary special, titled Tatlong Dekads ng Dabarkads, on October 17, 2009. Ryan Agoncillo joined the show on October 24, 2009. Ryzza Mae Dizon joined the show on July 9, 2012, after winning the talent search Little Miss Philippines on June 21, 2012. The Lenten drama specials returned on April 14, 2014, after a seven-year hiatus. The last Lenten drama special before the hiatus aired on April 6, 2007.
Alden Richards began his involvement with Eat Bulaga! on April 18, 2015, as a co-host for various segments, while Maine Mendoza first appeared on July 4, 2015, as Yaya Dub, a character introduced in the Problem Solving sub-segment of the Juan for All, All for Juan segment. In this role, Mendoza portrayed a comedic character interacting with the show's hosts and participants, which included solving fictional problems or misunderstandings in a humorous way. Her character quickly gained popularity due to her engaging Dubsmash videos and natural comedic timing.
The AlDub love team officially began on July 16, 2015, during a split-screen interaction in the Juan for All, All for Juan segment, which led to the creation of the popular Kalyeserye series. This event achieved 41 million tweets, becoming the most used hashtag within 24 hours on Twitter. The show's ratings surged, reaching a peak of 39.1% in Mega Manila and 33.6% nationwide from August to September 2015. It also became a daily trending topic on Twitter worldwide, with the hashtag #AlDubEBTamangPanahon trending notably on October 24, 2015, when the show held a benefit concert titled Tamang Panahon at the Philippine Arena. Kalyeserye concluded on December 17, 2016, after a total of 400 episodes.
On December 8, 2018, the show moved its live studio location to APT Studios in Cainta, Rizal. In March 2020, the admission of a live audience in the studio and production were suspended due to the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show resumed its programming on June 8, 2020. Anjo Yllana was laid off from the show on August 22, 2021. Ruby Rodriguez followed, leaving the show on May 15, 2021. Maja Salvador joined the show on October 2, 2021, with the segment, DC 2021: Maja on Stage, followed by Miles Ocampo on March 5, 2022. In February 2023, Carren Eistrup joined the show after winning the reality competition segment Bida Next. In April 2023, Salvador left the show citing her wedding and "uncertain circumstances with the show" as her reasons.
TAPE Inc.'s Eat Bulaga! and E.A.T. (2023–24)
Tuviera resigned as Chief Executive Officer of TAPE Inc. on March 6, 2023. He was succeeded by Romeo Jalosjos Jr., who officially took over the role on March 7, 2023. Following this transition, Soraya Jalosjos was appointed Vice President of Administration, and Bullet Jalosjos became the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Under Jalosjos' leadership, the company sought to rebrand Eat Bulaga!, resulting in the replacement of longtime mainstay hosts and top-rated segments, and a salary reduction for the entire production team.
TAPE Inc. suspended production of Eat Bulaga! from May 31 to June 3, 2023, following the announcement of original hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon that they were severing ties with the company under Jalosjos. Fellow hosts of the show—Paolo Ballesteros, Carren Eistrup, Jose Manalo, Maine Mendoza, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Wally Bayola, Ryan Agoncillo and Allan K. — and production members also filed their resignations in the days after their announcement.
On June 7, 2023, Eat Bulaga! hosts – Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Vic Sotto, Allan K., Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros, Ryan Agoncillo, Maine Mendoza, Ryzza Mae Dizon and Carren Eistrup announced their transfer to TV5 through the newly-formed TVJ Productions, a joint venture with TV5's parent MediaQuest Holdings, announcing a new noontime show that would replace It's Showtime in its timeslot. On July 1, 2023, their new noontime show, formally titled EAT..., premiered on TV5. Miles Ocampo returned as Dabarkads on July 8, 2023, after leaving due to health issues, while Atasha Muhlach made her debut on September 23, 2023 as a new addition to the cast. In October 2023, the show introduced the Singing Queens, featuring members Anne Ferrer, Eunice Janine, Samantha Rascal, Khayzy Bueno, and Jean Drilon.
On July 29, 2023, both E.A.T. and Eat Bulaga! celebrated the show's 44th anniversary with their own special episodes. E.A.T. aired 143–44: National Dabarkads Day, reflecting the past 44 years of the original Eat Bulaga!; while the other Eat Bulaga! launched their new theme song titled Tahanang Pinakamasaya, Eat Bulaga!.
On December 4, 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines cancelled TAPE Inc.'s registration of the "Eat Bulaga" and "EB" trademarks No. 4-2011-005951 and No. 4–2011–005950, respectively, and credited Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and de Leon as the owner of Eat Bulaga!. The decisions were received by the parties the next day. On January 5, 2024, the MarikinaRegional Trial Court found Television and Production Exponents, Inc. liable for "unfair competition and copyright infringement" and issued an order "permanently enjoining" it and GMA Network from using the trademarks "Eat Bulaga" and "EB" including its logos and jingle in their shows. The court barred them from airing any Eat Bulaga footage recorded prior to May 31, 2023, and directed the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to cancel TAPE's registration of "Eat Bulaga", "EB", and their logos. Moreover, it ordered TAPE Inc. to pay hosts and their co-defendant Jeny Ferre ₱2 million in temperate damages, as well as ₱500,000 in exemplary damages and ₱500,000 in attorney's fees.
On January 6, 2024, TAPE Inc. halted the production of Eat Bulaga!, and relaunched their show as Tahanang Pinakamasaya. Due to low viewership and increasing debt, Tahanang Pinakamasaya was cancelled on March 2, 2024.
TV5 (since 2024)
On January 6, 2024, E.A.T. was rebranded as Eat Bulaga!. The show began to simulcast its Saturday episodes on CNN Philippines as part of an agreement with Nine Media Corporation. Following the shutdown of CNN Philippines on January 31, 2024, the simulcast was carried over by its replacement channel, RPTV. The simulcast was extended to weekdays, by February 1, 2024.
Sugod Bahay, Mga Kapatid! – primarily hosted by Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros, with Ryan Agoncillo, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Maine Mendoza and Miles Ocampo serve as substitute hosts. The segment's concept is derived from the show's popular segment and predecessor, Juan for All, All for Juan, where hosts provide assistance and prizes to locals. The signature segment portrays Jose Manalo as the "Mayor ng Buong Bansa" (transl. mayor of the whole country) for life. His perpetual “term” bestows laughter and prizes during his daily visits of constituents, co-barangays, and the Dabarkads.
Gimme 5: Laro ng mga Henyo – challenges the knowledge and logical thinking of each pair of contestants, who are tested under time pressure. The segment has a combined concept from the American game show Family Feud and the show's popular segment and predecessor, Pinoy Henyo. The segment has introduced characters made using artificial intelligence, deepfake technology, and text-to-speech software who serve as hosts and remind the contestants about each round's mechanics.
Peraphy (stylized as PERAPhY) – challenges the studio player's thinking strategy. It involves oversized playing cards faced with fruits that consists of 13 cards per fruit (banana, mango, pineapple, and watermelon) numbered 1–13. The goal is to complete a row of cards by correctly guessing whether the next one is Higher (Pataas) or Lower (Pababa) in value, with the initial prize potentially being doubled or cut in half in the final round. It also features the TVJ Singing Queens (Eunice Janine, Anne Ferrer, Jean Drilon, Samantha Rascal, and Khayzy Bueno), who handle the playing cards. The segment shares similarities with the show's original segment, Hi-Lo Todo Panalo which based on the American television game show, Card Sharks.
Barangay Bulagaan (referred as Bulagaan and previously Bulagaan University) – features the hosts delivering knock-knock jokes and pick-up lines paired with their song of choice. Originally held in a classroom setting, it now takes place in an eatery owned by Ryzza Mae Dizon's character, Miss Tapsi.
Mr. Cutie: Boys Got Talent (2023–24) – a talent search for handsome, confident, and talented young men based on the show's original segment Mr. Pogi. It premiered on October 4, 2023, and aimed to discover the next heartthrob sensation. On January 20, 2024, Lance Aceron was declared the grand winner.
Ratings
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the show had its highest rating on October 24, 2015, with a 50.8% rating during the Tamang Panahon special.
Controversies
In January 2006, hosts Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon publicly apologized for "uttering vulgar words" and "cracking lewd jokes" during the Bulagaan segment of the show. De Leon jokingly remarked that Francis Magalona would impregnate Julia Clarete and also told Paulene Luna that she would get pregnant. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) reprimanded de Leon in a memorandum. Also included in the memo was Jose Manalo, who jokingly branded people from Quiapo as snatchers during the show's Mr. Pogi segment.
On February 3, 2007, during a dance showdown between the show's two resident dance groups, the SexBomb Girls and EB Babes, Mhyca Bautista of the SexBomb Girls allegedly scratched EB Babe Kim. This resulted in a rivalry between the two dance groups.
On September 2, 2013, a video of host Wally Bayola was posted online where he appeared to be having an affair with an EB Babe dancer. It led to Bayola's immediate suspension from the show for five months. He returned to the show on February 8, 2014.
On September 5, 2013, the MTRCB called the show's producers for a mandatory conference over "insensitive and unfriendly" scenes involving hosts Vic Sotto and Ryzza Mae Dizon.
On July 9, 2016, MTRCB summoned the show's personnel after the remarks of host Tito Sotto during the Juan for All, All for Juan segment, where a contestant shared her past sexual abuse, leading to accusations of Sotto promoting rape culture and victim shaming.
In October 2017, host Joey De Leon apologized after he made a statement in the show about depression being a "made-up illness". He said his family explained the seriousness of his statements.
On May 31, 2023, the show's original hosts — Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon announced their resignation from TAPE Inc. after they were barred from airing the show live. It was followed by the resignation of the show's other hosts and production team members. In August 2023, it led to an investigation by the MTRCB to ensure compliance on broadcasting regulations.
On June 2, 2023, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon filed a petition for the cancellation of TAPE Inc.'s trademark renewal for the title "Eat Bulaga!". On December 5, 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines' Bureau of Legal Affairs cancelled the trademark renewal and credited the Sotto brothers and de Leon as the owner of the title "Eat Bulaga!".
On June 30, 2023, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon filed a copyright infringement and unfair competition case against TAPE Inc. and GMA Network for "unauthorized airing" of the show and "misuse" of the title Eat Bulaga!. On January 6, 2024, the Regional Trial Court branch 273 of Marikina ordered TAPE Inc. and GMA Network to cease the usage of the trademarks such as "EB", "Eat Bulaga" and the Eat Bulaga! theme song, in its programming, as the petition of the Sotto brothers and de Leon on its copyright case was granted.
On August 10, 2023, during a sketch comedy in Sugod Bahay, Mga Kapatid! segment, Wally Bayola uttered off-screen the Tagalog profanity "putang ina!" while conversing with Jose Manalo, causing a stir among the audience. Bayola apologized for the incident a day after, stating he made a mistake. On the same day, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board issued a notice to the production group for a hearing on August 14, 2023, regarding Bayola's profanity utterance.
On September 9, 2023, TAPE Inc. gained access to the original YouTube channel of the show, while Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon planned to file legal action against TAPE Inc. for its "forced" acquisition of the YouTube account, an action deemed to constitute a cybercrime.
On September 23, 2023, Joey de Leon joked about the noose as a common neck accessory during Gimme 5: Laro ng mga Henyo which caused controversy as it was widely interpreted as a reference to suicide by hanging and was deemed callous and insensitive by both viewers and mental health advocates. Creative director Jeny Ferre apologized to the MTRCB for de Leon's brief verbal remarks, acknowledging that they insinuated suicide and expressing regret for those who were hurt.
Spin-offs
Eat Na Ta! is a half-hour variety show broadcast by GMA Cebu which served as pre-programming to Eat Bulaga!. The show was hosted by local personalities, among them the broadcast journalist and Balitang Bisdak anchor Bobby Nalzaro. The show originally aired on Super Radyo DYSS 999 kHz as a daily game show before it became a television variety show.
Eat Bulaga! Indonesia premiered on July 16, 2012 on SCTV Network. The show featured segments from the Philippine counterpart. The show concluded on April 3, 2014.
On November 17, 2014, The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia premiered on ANTV. It retained some of the hosts from the first incarnation along with a new set of hosts. The show featured segments from the Philippine counterpart with new names. It concluded on August 8, 2016. On January 30, 2023, The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia returned and ended on February 17, 2023.
Eat Bulaga! Myanmar was announced on July 30, 2019 as second international franchise, marking Eat Bulaga!'s 40th anniversary. Production was delayed due to internal armed conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic.
^De Leon, Joey (June 7, 2009). "'An Oscar award for Tito, Vic & Joey'". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023. But don't blame us, especially this writer who is very proud to be called "The Man Who Gave Eat, Bulaga! Its Name." I used Student Canteen as my model when I was thinking of a title for our new noontime show running against them in 1979. Obviously, I did not follow the word "Student" — baka sabihin gaya-gaya. Para hindi halata, I concentrated on their second word — "Canteen." And what do you do in a canteen? Of course, Eat! And that became my appetizer to help me through until I came up with a delicious title — Eat, Bulaga!
^Clarin, Tess (July 21, 2009). "Noontime TV Shows". Film Academy of the Philippines. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
