The 14-year journey of It’s Showtime is magic and serendipity at its finest. As they move to a new home, the It’s Showtime family muses on their ups and downs through the years, and the lengths they are willing to go to make their beloved madlang people happy.

The program may very well not even exist today. The hosts revealed that it was supposed to air only 13 taped episodes, an “experiment” as Vhong Navarro puts it.

Vice Ganda, who started as a ‘hurado’ in the show’s old format and is now one of the creative pillars, admitted that he couldn’t imagine their journey will turn out the way it is now. “Who would have ever thought that this program would last for 14 years now? I didn’t like it at first. Sinabi ko kay Ogie Diaz, ‘Parang perya. Labo-labo!’ Nobody thought na magkakasundo-sundo ‘yung magkakaibang tao na ginawang hosts. It was pure magic,” he reflected.

Still, they’ve persevered and learned to be resilient. The goal to put a smile on the viewers’ faces never waned no matter the challenges. It’s the reason they’re still here. The fun never stops.

“'Yung napunitan ako ng pantalon habang naghahabulan kami,” recalled Jhong Hilario. Vice further shared, “Ang daming memorable moments, ‘yung mga physical hosting namin, ino-okray ni Vhong ‘yung bonnet kong buhok, moments ko with Aaron “Yorme” Sunga. It gives me joy to know na nagtagumpay ako doon sa purpose ko, kung bakit ko sinimulan ‘to, kung bakit ko ‘to ginagawa araw-araw.”

Lassy added, “'Yung bardagulan na nangyayari, mga kulitan,” when asked about their favorite part of hosting It’s Showtime.

Jacky Gonzaga, who rose to fame after donning the character of “Ate Girl” during one of the segments, could vividly remember how her dream started to materialize through the program, “May time no’n na kami ni Ion [Perez] pinag-aagawan namin si Ate Vice.”

Beyond hilarity, the It’s Showtime stage is a platform that provides Filipinos a chance to tell their story and share their talent. Even the hosts get out of their comfort zones through the annual “Magpasikat” showdown. For Karylle, her proudest moments in the show include the “Team TKJ” performance wherein she, Jugs Jugueta, and Teddy Corpuz sang the "It’s Showtime" theme in reverse, as well as her musical presentations with Jhong and Ogie Alcasid.

Kim Chiu, one of the most recent additions to the program, gushed, “No’ng sinabi sa akin na, ‘Regular ka na,’ sobrang saya ko talaga. Never-ending 'yung tuwa. Ang hirap pala sumali sa Magpasikat, at the same time, parang pinipiga niya 'yung creativity mo.”

This family continues to grow as they welcome new members whom they think have the same heart for the madlang people. And as a family, they have witnessed each other’s milestones. Anne Curtis started in the show as a single lady, got married, and is now a mom. She said that returning to the program after almost three years of maternity leave is one of her most unforgettable episodes.

But no matter how unexpected and magical the circumstance of It’s Showtime came to be, it still couldn’t downplay the hard work and durability of the team, and the unwavering support of madlang people.

Their strength was put to the test at the peak of the ABS-CBN shutdown and COVID-19 pandemic. Karylle looked back, “Noong time ng pandemic na bawal ang tao sa studio, it was very hard kasi powered by madlang people tayo.”

“Sabi nga 'di ba, God gives the hardest battles to His toughest soldiers, so sa tingin ko, kami ‘yung soldiers na ‘yun,” Kim thought.

The It’s Showtime family is amazed by how serendipitous their story came to be. Most of all, their journey and the challenges that came with it, have taught them a lot and further solidified their relationship.

“Itong programang ito, isa na sa pinakamahal ko sa buhay ko. Ginawa ko lahat para sa programang ito. Ginawa ko lahat para sa madlang people,” Vice said. Ogie remarked, “Nawalan kami ng tahanan. Sa hirap na pinagdaanan namin, mas lumalim ang aming samahan.”

Then again, they fought as a family and managed to survive, with the love of madlang people breathing them inspiration. “Gano’n kami kamahal ng madlang people, kasi sinundan tayo,” Vhong turned sentimental as he talked about the madlang people who continued to watch them even in smaller mobile screens. “Kaya dapat pinapakinggan natin ang madlang people kasi malaki ang utang na loob natin sa kanila."

“Everyday na nakikita namin ang madlang people na nadiyan, tumatawa, hindi kami napapagod,” Jhong pondered. “Angdami ng pagsubok, ang daming pinagdaanan, pag may problema nagdadamayan.”

“Pwede kang magpasaya basta meron kang bitbit na pag-asa,” added Vice, who defines family as a feeling of home. “Hindi siya lugar, damdamin siya. Tahanan ko ‘yung mga writers. Tahanan ko ‘yung staff.”

Ryan Bang, who is away from his family in Korea, said that he doesn’t feel alone because he has his second family – his It’s Showtime family – every day.

Home is where there’s support and less judgment. Home is where hope blooms. For the It’s Showtime family, home is where the madlang people are. And as they move to a new home, this family only feels the bliss of fresh beginnings. “Excited ka to create new memories,” Amy Perez puts it.

Yesterday, June 28, It's Showtime made its transfer to GTV, GMA Network’s sister channel, official in a contract signing event attended by both parties and the media.

“This time, mapapanood nila na magco-collab na ang Kapuso at Kapamilya,” Vhong said. Anne commented, “I’m just so happy that we found a new home that will welcome us, guide us, and be our new family. Maraming, maraming salamat for sharing your home with us.”

This, if anything, is a signal that the rivalry is finally over. At the end of the day, It’s Showtime is all about love and unity and making madlang people smile.

Vice promised, “Let’s just make madlang people happy, sa iba't ibang paraan, iba’t ibang segments, mga ibang makakasama pa. Hindi kami hihinto sa paghahanap ng paraan para mapasaya at maitawid ‘yung kasiyahan na ‘yun mula studio papunta sa mga bahay nila.”

“Hindi kami hihinto. May mga pagkakataon na mapapagod, pisikal, mental, mga puso natin. Pero hindi tayo hihinto. Ang ganda na ng nasimulan natin. Pababayaan ba nating maglaho na lang ‘yung magandang nasimulan natin?”

Catch It’s Showtime on GTV starting this July 1!