Gene Padilla, a well-known comedian, went viral and became the center of conversation when he shared a “hugot” about invitations to events, which is mixed with sadness but still true in our society. In his Instagram post on April 4, 2024, Gene shared a quote card that discusses the comparison of invitations between poor and rich people.

According to Gene’s post, “Did you notice? When you’re poor, they don’t invite you to any event? But when you’re rich, you’re invited right away even if their event is far away. SAD BUT REALITY.”

This message is a kind of reflection on the inequality that occurs in social events. Gene expressed the feeling that he was not given the opportunity or invitation to special events because of his situation in life, which is a common issue experienced by others in society.

Not long after, in another post, Gene admitted that he seemed to be overwhelmed by all kinds of comments from netizens, especially after he shared his experience regarding the wedding of his niece Claudia Barretto, daughter of Dennis Padilla. Gene shared his feelings about the messages he received, and this seemed to open up deeper issues of relationships and expectations of people in his family.

But despite his post full of reflection, Gene could not escape severe criticism from netizens. In the comment section of his post, some gave their opinions that caused a fierce clash with his statement. One of the comments obtained said, “You are not even invited. Not because you are poor. You are not close to the bride.”

The comment showed that the reason why he was not invited may not be because of Gene’s state of life, but because of his personal relationship with the brides, or the overall family dynamics.

Some netizens also gave strong reactions, such as saying, “It’s not over yet. They haven’t provided and when they learn to live on their own, you expect them to be a part of their lives?”

These statements emphasized the idea that people have expected boundaries on how they should behave, especially in events related to their families or close relationships.

Other netizens even pointed out that Gene is a “narcissist” and has no breeding, so they believe that he is just making assumptions, and that his behavior causes tension around him.

One of the most critical comments Gene received was the one who said, “Even more important. Toxic.”

This comment shows that there are netizens who do not agree with his perspective, and instead seem to emphasize the toxicity or destructiveness of his behavior in situations like this.

Because of the comments, other netizens chose to give their opinions on being uninvited to events, and asked what people who attend events without being invited are called. One netizen commented, “Weeeeh. What is the name of people who go to events without being invited? Ge nga. What is gate crasher in tagalog?”

This comment provided humor and irony, and gave netizens the opportunity to think about violating social norms regarding being invited.

Despite the criticism, Gene’s post opened a larger discourse about the inequalities in our society, and how it affects our relationships and perceptions of each other. This incident is a reminder that social media can serve as a platform for expressing feelings, but it can also often cause controversy and misunderstandings between people.