‘I love you, Vice’: Billy Crawford returns to ‘It’s Showtime’ as Vice Ganda’s guest
Former It’s Showtime host Billy Crawford made a surprise appearance during team Vice Ganda, Jackie Gonzaga, at Cianne Dominguez’s performance at the noontime show’s Magpasikat 2023 anniversary segment.
“Okay na okay na kami ni Billy,” Vice said of Billy, who was with his wife and former It's Showtime host Coleen Garcia and son Amari, after the performance.
Vice said that she was inspired by Anne Curtis’ team, whose concept centered on “healing.”
“Kahapon, yung concept nila Anne na ‘healing,’ bigla kong naisip, sabi ko, ‘Hmm parang I think maganda yung kung di lang natin sinasabi yung salitang healing. Yung ipinaparamdam din natin para maramdaman nung ibang tao na hindi lang siya sinasabi, kailangan ginagawa rin siya at sinisimulan,’” she said.
The host continued that Billy’s presence on the show might inspire others to reconnect and reconcile with the people important to them, too.
“Baka mag inspire Ito sa Inyo na mag heal din. Baka it’s about time na kaya niyo na rin na makipag-reconcile lalong lalo na sa mga taong mahalaga sa inyo. Kasi si Billy is one very important person sa buhay ko,” Vice said.
“At the end of the day, you are my best friend and I love you very much,” Vice added.
Billy’s father’s last wish
Billy, for his part, shared some of his realizations after visiting his sick dad from the US recently.
“Hindi ko kasi alam kung hanggang kailan ang Tatay ko sa mundong ito. Pero nagparealize sakin... alam mo ba ang bilin niya sakin? Is mag-ayos tayo,” the singer-host told Vice.
Billy said that while his dad is American and cannot understand Tagalog, he is aware of the alleged falling out between the two hosts.
“Yung sinabi ng Daddy ko na request niya was part of that, it’s beyond my control. It’s beyond Vice’s control din,” Billy expressed.
He continued to share that the guesting was not supposed to push through but God found a way to make it happen.
“Kagabi cancelled na ito eh. Hindi na to mangyayari to be honest with you dahil yung schedule talaga hindi nagkakatugma. Pero, for some reason nagkaroon ng emergencies, sana hindi naman grabe. Pero nagkaroon ng emergency sa kabila, bigla akong pinayagang gawin ito,” said The Voice Philippines host.
“Katulad ng sinabi mo Vice, nahanap ko ang aking asawa at nabuo ang aking pamilya dahil sa programang ito,” Billy continued.
“And para sa akin, it really doesnt matter kung saan ka. Ang importante kasi ito, lahat dito iisa lang naman, puro puso. Mahal namin ang isa’t-isa. Lahat ng pamilya nagkakaaway, nagkaka labuan. Pero at the end of the day, in God’s time, siya na rin ang bahalang mag-aayos.”
Billy then apologized to Vice, the Madlang People, and his Kapamilya family, and thanked them for their support.
“Nagpapakumbaba lang ako na gagawin ko kasi ang lahat para sa aking pamilya. And kasama na rin po kayo doon Madlang People. So I really thank you, thank you everyone for the support and love.”
“Amidst sa lahat ng nangyari, I just want to say, Vice, I love you,” he ended.
Billy had been among the regular hosts of It’s Showtime! before he left the network in 2018 to host TV5’s now-defunct noontime show, Lunch Out Loud.
Later, rumors that there was a rift between the two hosts after Vice and Billy unfollowed each other on Instagram.
In September 2023, Billy and Coleen guested on GMA’s Fast Talk with Boy Abunda and reflected on how their relationships have evolved.
“We hardly actually have time to communicate with every single person we know. It’s hard enough with our own family so the relationship has changed, to be honest with you, Tito Boy. It’s not like it used to be. Simula nung, I guess, we started a family, everything completely changed.”