Anyone who uses social media these days might have already encountered the term "cancel culture." This basically equates to an individual or a group or a business being problematic online.
The common ground on this term coined by the "younger generation" is how the public decides to boycott whoever it is that has been caught in the 'cancel culture' maze.
Most of the time, public figures, whether it be from local or international, are on the receiving end of this kind of ostracism.
Before the year ends, we round up the names of 10 celebrities who have been canceled in 2022.
1. Ella Cruz
The actress had no idea what was in store for her when she made her viral and widely-criticized statement comparing history to gossip or tsismis back in July.
"History is like ‘tsismis.’ It is filtered and dagdag na rin, so hindi natin alam what is real history. Andoon na iyong mga idea, pero may mga bias talaga. As long as we’re here alive at may kanya-kanyang opinion, I respect everyone’s opinion," Ella Cruz said during the promotion interview of the film "Maid in Malacañang" wherein she portrays the role of Irene Marcos.
Some celebrities and historians told Cruz to refresh her memory of the Philippines' history.
Historian Ambeth Ocampo slammed Cruz over her remark, reminding her to not "confuse history and tsismis."
"History may have bias, but it is based on fact, not opinion. Real history is about truth, not lies, not fiction," Ocampo said.
Despite the callouts, Cruz maintained her position on the matter.
2. Toni Gonzaga
It is no surprise that the TV host-actress Toni Gonzaga is one of the public figures that were heavily criticized on social media this year.
She was caught in the cancel culture after she declared support to the then-tandem of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte in the 2022 presidential elections.
Toni also drew irk from the public when she introduced a candidate who was among those who pushed to deny the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN in 2020, as well as calling the Malacañang Palace the home of the Marcoses.
Netizens and Marcos critics were simply not having it.
Toni stepped down in February as the main host of ABS-CBN's hit reality show "Pinoy Big Brother."
In September, she and her husband, filmmaker and presidential adviser for creative communications Paul Soriano signed with the Villar Group's Advanced Media Broadcasting System Channel 2 (AMBS).
She is currently hosting her YouTube series "Toni Talks" as well as her new show on AMBS
3. Donnalyn Bartolome
When social media personality Donnalyn Bartolome celebrated her birthday back in July, she may not have expected to receive backlash instead of greetings from the netizens.
Back in July, Donnalyn, who was celebrating her 28th birthday then shared photos from her birthday shoot where she was acting out like a baby in diapers, wearing a bib as her only top, and dressed in a onesie while sucking suggestively from a milk bottle.
Netizens were quick to call out Bartolome and pointed out that said concept is "disturbing" and "enabling pedophilic culture."
She then apologized for it, saying it was an honest mistake.
However, it didn't just end there. A month after, she became the talk of the town again for her alleged "poverty porn" theme inclined with her kanto-style birthday party that was attended by some of her vlogger friends.
In a 34-minute video uploaded on her YouTube account, Donnalyn was seen having fun celebrating her birthday last July 9 with friends that include fellow celebrities like Richard Juan, Paul Salas, Mikee Quintos, and Awra Briguela, and social media personalities Zeinab Harake and Jelai Andres.
The video could have been a regular yet special upload, but some netizens took offense and called the vlogger "privileged" and "out of touch."
Donnalyn, meanwhile, explained that her intentions were only to relive the days when she was living a similar simple life when she was starting out in showbiz.
4. Enchong Dee
It was December of last year when a panel of prosecutors in Davao Occidental indicted actor Enchong Dee over a cyber-libel complaint filed by Drivers United for Mass Progress and Equal Rights (DUMPER) party-list representative Claudine Bautista-Lim after she received massive backlash on social media for her July 26, 2021 wedding at the luxurious Balesin Island Resort in Polilio, Quezon.
At that time, Enchong made comments on the lavish wedding, which Bautista-Lim tagged as 'malicious and destructive.' This drew mixed reactions from some netizens, with most canceling the actor for dipping into the issue.
In January, Enchong voluntarily surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) and posted a PHP 1 billion bail after authorities failed to serve his warrant of arrest at his declared address in Cubao, Quezon City.
5. Kit Thompson
In March, actor Kit Thompson made headlines for being arrested after he allegedly abused and injured her then-girlfriend, actress Ana Jalandoni.
A photo of Jalandoni with swollen eyes went viral on social media back then.
Upon further investigation, it was reported that while the friends of Jalandoni were asking for the assistance of authorities, hotel staff also alerted the Tagaytay police after checking the commotion in the hotel room of the couple.
Netizens did not mince words and started calling out Thompson, even digging past videos of the former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate showing tendencies of his anger management issues.
A complaint was filed against Thompson for violation of Section 5 (a) of the Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act. However, he was released from detention shortly after posting bail.
As of writing, the actor has already returned to acting in September.
6. Vhong Navarro
TV host-actor and comedian Vhong Navarro draw mixed reactions from netizens after a Taguig court issued a warrant of arrest against him for alleged acts of lasciviousness in connection with his 2014 rape case filed by model Deniece Cornejo.
On November 21, Navarro was transferred to the Taguig City Jail from the National Bureau of Investigation facility in compliance with the November 7 order of the court.
And just this month, the "It's Showtime" host was granted temporary liberty after posting PHP 1 million bail.
While some took his side after the issue resurfaced, some also reminded the public to "not glorify" Navarro until he is proven guilty over the charges filed against him.
7. Marcus Adoro of The Eraserheads
Following the announcement of The Eraserheads much-awaited reunion concert, fans expressed concern over the issue of the band's guitarist Marcus Adoro, who was accused of domestic abuse by his former partner, actress Barbara Ruaro, and daughter, Syd Hartha back in 2019.
In a statement, members Ely Buendia and Raymund Marasigan said they “acknowledge the pain and suffering of the parties involved and we seek accountability” and they “hope the issue between the parties gets resolved soon.”
In September, Marcus penned an open letter to his daughter Syd and also apologized for the trouble he has caused his family, his bandmates, the sponsors, and the public.
8. Kanye West
Kanye West has always stolen the spotlight when it comes to Hollywood gossip.
Based on reports, the rapper directed racial slurs at Trevor Noah, host of "The Daily Show" in an Instagram post after Noah discussed a row between West, West's former wife Kim Kardashian, and her boyfriend, "Saturday Night Live" comic Pete Davidson.
This led him to be suspended from the social media network Instagram for 24 hours last March.
The same thing happened again in October, this time, both his Instagram and Twitter accounts after online users condemned them as anti-Semitic.
Following his issues, high-end brands Adidas and Balenciaga cut their ties with the rapper.
9. Amber Heard
Following her defamation battle in court with her former husband Johnny Depp went public, all eyes were directed to Hollywood actress Amber Heard.
The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard saga has been raging for several years.
In June, Depp won a near-total victory in his legal battle with Heard, who had accused him of physical abuse. Depp denied hitting her or any other woman.
This decision cost Heard to lose multiple projects and collaborations at the same time while she is totally being canceled in social media.
Several rumors claimed that Warner Bros. (WB) had chosen to completely nix Heard’s role in Jason Momoa’s Aquaman sequel, despite her having already filmed content.
Many fans have wanted Heard off Aquaman 2 for a long time, especially since Depp was very quickly removed from the Fantastic Beasts franchise by WB while she had remained safe.
10. Kris Wu
Among the greatest tragedy of being a fan is finding out that your "idol" is not the person you think he is.
On November 25, China found Canadian singer Kris Wu guilty of his crimes including rape, just over a year after his arrest in China, where he was born and built a lucrative career.
The former EXO member was sentenced to a 13-year jail term by a Chinese court.
Wu Yifan, his real name, was arrested and formally charged in August last year. His case was heard in June in a case without media access.
"Wu Yifan took advantage of three drunken women ... at his home," the court said on its official WeChat account.
The superstar returned to China in 2014 to pursue a solo career.
Wu was detained on July 31 last year after an 18-year-old Chinese student publicly accused him of inducing her and other girls, some of them younger than 18, to have sex with him.
At the time, the student told the media Wu lured her into having sex when she was 17, after having plied her with liquor.
The court also found him guilty of the crime of assembling a crowd to engage in sexual promiscuity in July 2018, it said.
