Paolo Elito Macapagal Ballesteros IV (born November 29, 1982) is a
Filipino actor, comedian, TV host, model, drag queen, and impersonator. He has appeared in films and several TV shows, and has been one of the co-hosts of longtime noontime show ''
Eat Bulaga!'' since 2001.
Personal life
Paolo Elito Macapagal Ballesteros IV is related to Filipino painter
Fernando Amorsolo, his great-grandfather, and fellow celebrity
Eula Valdez
Maria Julia Amorsolo Valdes (; born December 11, 1968), professionally known as Eula Valdes, is a Filipino actress, best known for her role as Amor Powers in the original version of ''Pangako Sa 'Yo'' (2000) and as Janice in the '' Bagets'' fi ...
, who is his aunt.
He was romantically involved with Katrina Nevada, with whom he has a daughter, Keira Claire.
Although Ballesteros initially didn't directly confirm his sexual orientation publicly, there was already a strong indication that he was gay through his Instagram posts, his acceptance of gay roles in film and television, and his jokes about his sexuality as a host on ''
Eat Bulaga!''. He was romantically linked to several men, occasionally sharing romantic photos of them together from his own Instagram account. In April 2017, he uploaded a photo of himself with dancer Roland Ochoa Anog.; In April 2018, pictures of him with Television actor and online personality
Sebastian Castro circulated online, leading to speculation of a relationship. Most recently, he has uploaded a photo of him with a non-showbiz figure Kenneth Concepcion in December 2018, once again leading netizens to believe he is in a gay relationship. In all instances, Ballesteros has never confirmed nor denied the rumors.
In August 2019, during the press conference for the film
The Panti Sisters, also starring
Martin del Rosario
Martin Miguel Mangay del Rosario (born November 25, 1992) is a Filipino actor and model who is known for his portrayal of Norberto Matias in the 2011 drama series '' Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', as Severino Monzon in the TV adaptation of '' Pinta ...
and
Christian Bables, Paolo Ballesteros finally revealed to be gay saying "I am a lady!" and stated that he does not care about what people think about his sexual orientation.
In another interview, he said that his daughter, Keira Claire, 10, already knew he was gay. However, the host of ''Eat Bulaga!'' said he didn't fully explain to Claire what it's like to be gay because of her age. But at the same time, Ballesteros has always been open to her.
Career
In March 2016, he was reportedly suspended from ''Eat Bulaga!'' for six months due to the rants he posted on his
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
account regarding the live show set-ups like about the catering and others. During his suspension, Ballesteros spent his time in portraying his main roles in two different movies: ''Die Beautiful'' and ''Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo May BF?''. Ballesteros returned to ''Eat Bulaga!'' on September 5, 2016. Ballesteros won his first international Best Actor award for playing his role in ''Die Beautiful'' in 29th
Tokyo International Film Festival.
In 2022, he was chosen to be the host of
Drag Race Philippines
''Drag Race Philippines'' is a Philippine reality competition television series. It is a spin-off of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. The series is produced by World of Wonder and Fullhouse Asia Production Studios. The series airs on Discovery+ and HBO ...
along with recurring judges,
Jiggly Caliente and Kaladkaren Davila.
Impersonation and makeup transformation
Ballesteros is renowned for his various impersonation of female and male artists and has earned international acclaim for his makeup skills. He has posted pictures of his numerous makeup transformations through his Instagram account, transforming himself into Hollywood celebrities, as well as local artists.
For the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival he impersonated two female celebrities. First one was Angelina Jolie (calling himself "Angelina Magdangal") during the red carpet and opening ceremony, in an Emerald Modern Filipiniana Fishtail black velvet terno gown, with typical squared sleeves, black
opera gloves and black
high heels. On the awards night and following press conference he emulated
Julia Roberts, wearing a gold sequin dress with white high heels and white opera gloves.
Filmography
Television
Film
Awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballesteros, Paolo
1982 births
Filipino drag queens
Living people
21st-century Filipino male actors
Filipino male television actors
Filipino male comedians
Filipino male models
Filipino television talk show hosts
Gay actors
GMA Network personalities
Filipino television variety show hosts
LGBT actors from the Philippines
Male actors from Nueva Ecija
People from Cabanatuan
People from Nueva Ecija
Filipino male film actors
TV5 (Philippine TV network) personalities
Drag Race Philippines