Gretchen Barretto Asks Niece Claudia Barretto for Forgiveness
Gretchen Barretto and Niece Claudia Barretto Kiss and Make Up

Gretchen Barretto took to Instagram to publicly ask for forgiveness from her niece, Claudia Barretto, after previously calling her an “ungrateful child.”

Gretchen’s apology came just a day after she lashed out at Claudia over a comment the younger Barretto made in an earlier interview—one that was seemingly misunderstood and taken out of context.

The issue started when a netizen reacted to a statement Claudia made during a video interview at the launch of her music album, Stay.

Claudia, the younger sister of Julia Barretto, is the daughter of Gretchen’s sister, Marjorie.

During the interview, Claudia was asked if she was ready to be compared to her Aunt Gretchen, who had released two music albums—Complicated in 2009 and Unexpected in 2016.

In her response, Claudia used the phrase “somebody else,” which a netizen interpreted as referring to Gretchen.

That remark quickly caught Gretchen’s attention, prompting her to unleash a series of emotional posts on Instagram. In her tirade, she called Claudia an “ungrateful child” and made other accusations involving Claudia’s family.

GRETCHEN SAYS SORRY

Later that day, Gretchen posted a follow-up message on Instagram, clearly referring to her earlier remarks about Claudia, which had already made headlines in entertainment news.

In her caption, Gretchen admitted that she’s in pain and tends to hurt the people she loves in the process.

Although she didn’t reveal the source of her pain, showbiz insiders are well aware of Gretchen’s longstanding rift with her family—particularly her parents and siblings, including Marjorie and Claudine.

She began her post with:

“I’m currently in Hong Kong for the weekend. I was hoping to enjoy, but no matter what I do, I realize that I am hurting—and in the process, I have deeply hurt the ones I love dearly…”

Gretchen revealed that it was her daughter, Dominique, who encouraged her to reach out and make peace with Claudia (affectionately called Claui).

“[M]y daughter, Dominique, gave me a call yesterday to please reach out to Claui and understand her, and forgive her. Claui is considered Dominique’s little sister, and I consider Claui my very own child…

“I am learning the very painful way that as a mother, we must be selfless. We must forgo hurt, disappointment—we must be more understanding and patient… we must ignore the pain that our children make us feel, we must embrace them through their flaws and love them UNCONDITIONALLY.

“I do not want my Claui to be bashed in any way… I beg for understanding and forgiveness… Please allow us all to heal peacefully… I ask for forgiveness from my Instagram followers for spreading hurt and bitterness in my post.”

She ended her message with a direct apology to Claudia:

“I ask for forgiveness from Claui for making her go through this hurt.”

CLAUDIA REACTS

In the comment section of Gretchen’s heartfelt post, Claudia responded.

She explained that she never intended to offend or disrespect her Aunt Gretchen. She also suggested that her awkward phrasing during the interview may have stemmed from her inexperience in the entertainment industry.

The 17-year-old newcomer wrote:

“Thank you for this post. I just want you to know that what I said was never meant to offend you nor disrespect you. It was maliciously and wrongfully viewed by the user who decided to take my comment largely out of context.

“As you know, I’m only starting my career and have yet to truly showcase my intelligence. It’s difficult to do that now because of how nervous I can get sometimes when I’m asked questions.”

She acknowledged that she still has much to learn, but maintained that she did not say anything wrong.

Claudia also referred to Gretchen affectionately as “mama”:

“I have yet to get used to it and have yet to learn how to use the correct words. However, I still believe that what I said was not wrong. I hope you see the video, mama.”