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Kris Aquino | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aquino in 2015 | |
| Born | Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (1971-02-14)February 14, 1971 (age 54) Quezon City, Philippines |
| Other names | Kris |
| Occupations |
|
| Title | Queen of All Media |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Joshua Aquino (older son), includingBimby |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | List
|
| Years active | 1986–2022 |
Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (locally[ˌkɾisʔɐˈxiː.no]; born February 14, 1971) is a Filipino retired television presenter, actress, talent manager and film producer. She is a recipient of 42PMPC Star Awards for Television, 10Golden Screen Awards and aFAMAS Award.[4][5][6]
Dubbed the Philippines' "Queen of All Media", Aquino has hosted numerous talk shows andgame shows, starred in several films and television series, and is active in social media. She is the youngest daughter ofBenigno Aquino Jr. andCorazon Aquino, who served as the 11thpresident of the Philippines while her brotherBenigno Aquino III served as the 15th president of the Philippines.
Her debut film appearance was inPido Dida: Sabay Tayo and she is also known for her roles in horror filmsFeng Shui andSukob, the highest-grossing Filipino films of 2004 and 2006 respectively.[7] She is also widely known as a celebrity product endorser and a philanthropist who advocates forlupus awareness, children's rights,LGBT rights, culture and art appreciation,freedom of expression, and democratic reforms.[8]
Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino was born inQuezon City, Philippines, toCorazon Cojuangco-Aquino andBenigno Aquino Jr. who was, at the time, asenator of theFerdinand Marcos regime. The youngest of five children, her siblings are Maria Elena "Ballsy" Aquino-Cruz, Aurora Corazon "Pinky" Aquino-Abellada, former Philippine PresidentBenigno S. Aquino III, and Victoria Elisa "Viel" Aquino-Dee. She is the cousin of actress and equestrienneMikee Cojuangco, and the niece of former Philippine Olympic Committee presidentJose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. When she was a baby, her father was arrested and jailed; her mother raised Aquino and her siblings.[9][10][11]
During the1978 parliamentary elections when her jailed father was a candidate, the seven-year-old Aquino was a stand-in for him at campaign rallies. She was featured on the front page ofThe New York Times and on the cover ofTime Magazine. Aquino spent most of her elementary school days in the United States, where the Aquino family was in exile. When she was 12 years old,her father was assassinated on the tarmac ofManila International Airport. Kris Aquino returned to the Philippines and attended rallies against the Marcos regime.
After thePhilippine Revolution of 1986, which removedFerdinand Marcos from his21-year regime, the teenage Aquino began guesting stints on television dramas and comedies, as well as talk shows. She made her film debut with actor-comedianRene Requiestas inPido Dida, which was a blockbuster hit. Aquino had a commercially steady career, and managed to score an acting nomination forThe Fatima Buen Story. She starred in a film based on a true-to-life murder, theVizconde massacre. Its financial success and numerous starring appearances in crime films of the same vein, earned her the nickname "Massacre Queen" by newspaper critics.
Aquino finished her elementary school education at the Poveda Learning Center (nowSaint Pedro Poveda College) inQuezon City. She went to high school at theColegio San Agustin-Makati, where she was batchmates withPinky Webb andKaren Davila.[12]
After graduation from high school in March 1988, she proceeded to theAteneo de Manila University for college, earning herBachelor of Arts degree inEnglish Literature in 1992.
Aquino shifted her sights to a television career as a showbiz talk show host with the launching of the talk showKris. It was produced byViva Television on thePeople's Television Network. It was on GMA Network's showbiz oriented talk showStartalk, which she co-hosted withBoy Abunda andLolit Solis, that her hosting skills attracted attention.
She later joinedABS-CBN as a contract artist and was launched in morning talk showToday with Kris Aquino. Following are showbiz-oriented talk showThe Buzz alongsideBoy Abunda and game showGame KNB?. From 2002 to 2004, she hosted the talk showMorning Girls with Kris and Korina with known broadcast journalistKorina Sanchez.
In 2007, Aquino took a showbiz break leavingThe Buzz and the reformattedPilipinas, Game Ka Na Ba? where she was replaced byEdu Manzano, when she gave birth to her second son.[13]
Aquino also hosted thePhilippine franchise ofDeal or No Deal, which is part of ABS-CBN's primetime lineup, where she also appeared on the US version as part of aDeal or No Deal "around the world" event which hosted byHowie Mandel in May 2008.
She also hostedBoy & Kris, a morning talk show that replacedHomeboy, together withBoy Abunda,[14]Be Bench, a model search show together withPiolo Pascual,[15][16] another TV franchise,Wheel of Fortune, which replacedKapamilya, Deal or No Deal and marks her return onThe Buzz in 2014.
In 2011, Aquino hostedKris TV, a lifestyle-magazine talk show which airs weekday mornings onABS-CBN.The show ran from June 2011 to April 2016 prior to Aquino officially leaving her home network for 20 years.[17]
Also in 2011, she hosted the Filipino version ofThe Price is Right.
Aquino began her film career withRegal Films, one of the oldest film companies in the Philippines, appearing inPido Dida: Sabay Tayo (1990), and its sequels with comedianRene Requiestas. It earned her first box office queen award. She later shifted to dramatisations of true crime, includingThe Vizconde Massacre Story,Myrna Diones Story,Elsa Castillo-Ang Katotohanan, andHumanda Ka Mayor.[citation needed]
She won her first supporting actress award in 2002 forMano Po, for her portrayal of a weak-willed and submissive scion of a wealthy Filipino-Chinese clan. In the 2004 filmSo... Happy Together she played oppositeEric Quizon.[citation needed]
Other films include:Feng Shui, aStar Cinema production that featured Chinese influences and omen.Feng Shui, which was made during the wave of "Asian-style horror" flicks that spread throughout the continent after 2002's.The Ring made P137 million. It was the highest grossing Filipino movie of 2004, and the second most successful movie overall that year, next toSpider-Man 2, which earned more than P225 million. In 2006,Sukob, another horror thriller, became the highest grossing Filipino film of all time surpassingAng Tanging Ina andAnak. She also starred alongsideVice Ganda andAi-Ai delas Alas inSisterakas, a2012 Metro Manila Film Festival entry.[citation needed]
In 2018, she played Princess Intan inCrazy Rich Asians.[8]
Aquino's health has deteriorated by 2022. Aquino was diagnosed withchronic spontaneous urticaria in 2018 after undergoing tests in Singapore out of concern that she might be suffering fromlupus.[18] In May 2022, Aquino disclosed that she has a life-threatening condition but dispelled rumors that she was "dying" and confined in anintensive care unit. She has also been stated to haveautoimmune thyroiditis andvasculitis.[19]
In June 2022, she disclosed hereosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis diagnosis, adding that she is going to reside in the United States to receive treatment for her condition.[20]
As of October 2023, Aquino is living inOrange County, California.[21]
In theValentine's Day 2024 episode ofFast Talk with Boy Abunda, Aquino, viaZoom revealed that herhemoglobin count dropped to an alarming 8.7, her face has abutterfly rash due to a fifth autoimmune disease and has several light scratches, an effect ofeosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. She also suffers fromfluctuating blood pressure, swollen knees and bones perMixed connective tissue disease,CREST syndrome andRheumatoid arthritis and her heart's muscles around it wereswollen.[22][23][24] In September, she returned to the Philippines to begin her secondimmunosuppressant infusions for her six autoimmune conditions.[25] In November, Kris underwent aPICC line insertion in aperipheral vein.[26]
In February 2025, Aquino was diagnosed withfibromyalgia.[27] In April 2025, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with a total of nine autoimmune diseases and was being confined at a "safe zone" inBonifacio Global City.[28]
Aquino had a relationship with actorPhillip Salvador and had their first son, Joshua, in 1994.[29]
In 2003, her relationship with comedianJoey Marquez was highly publicized after their breakup in which Aquino exposed Marquez on contracting her withSTD.[30]
Aquino was married toPBA professional playerJames Yap in a civil marriage ceremony on July 10, 2005, and announced the following year that she was pregnant,[31] following a controversy in 2006 on Yap's infidelity.[32]
In April 2007, Aquino gave birth to her second son,James Carlos "Bimby" Aquino Yap Jr., in Makati.[33]
In 2010, Aquino announced that she had separated from Yap, citing personal reasons, and stated she was seeking an annulment.[34] It was in February 2012 that their marriage was declarednull and void.[35]
Aquino was amidst another public scandal in 2018 making death verbal threats via telephone[36] to her former business manager, Nicko Falcis as their business relationship gradually ended. This was after her filing numerous cases against Falcis,[37] majority of which got dismissed[38] and are now under mediation.[39] Currently, Aquino has no business partner nor business manager.
In October 2021, Aquino announced her engagement to former politicianMel Senen Sarmiento.[40] But in January 2022, Aquino said via Instagram that both she and Sarmiento agreed to call it off.[41] In June 2024, Aquino andBimby Aquino Yap confirmed a newrelationship with aboyfriend, Dr. Michael Padlan, a 53 years oldMakati Medical Center surgeon, who has 2 children in a previous affair.[42][43]
Aside from her TV and movie career, Aquino owns and manages several businesses. She co-owns Lena Restaurant and Sencillo, a Mexican restaurant, as well as Roberto Antonio, an upscale flower shop with business partnerBoy Abunda.[44]
She founded a boutique and agency in partnership with Abunda and other personalities including Nonon del Carmen and Agnes Maranan. The boutique and agency was named MAD (an acronym for their surnames).[45] She co-owns Sierra Madre Water. Aquino also owns numerous fast food store franchises such as Jollibee and Chowking and owns Nacho Bimby (akaPotato Corner)[46] - a company that's under her youngest son's namesake.
She is also executive editor of a bi-monthly magazine calledK! The Kris Aquino Magazine. In December 2009, Aquino showcased her home collection calledK Everyday. In partnership with ABS-CBN Licensing,K Everyday features cooking, kitchen-wares, plastic, and stationery collections.[7]
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture Film distribution Television |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Quezon City, Philippines |
Area served | Philippines |
Key people | Kristina Bernadette C. Aquino Tess V. Fuentes |
| Products | Film Vlog |
| Parent | ABS-CBN Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. |
In 2013, Aquino established a film and televisionproduction company, and film distributor called Kris Aquino Productions (or K Productions).
It is managed byStar Cinema, the country's largest motion picture company, which has produced most of thehighest grossing Filipino films of all time. Its debut film wasInstant Mommy starringEugene Domingo.[47] She produced her son's debut movie,My Little Bossings, in 2013.[48]
Starting in 2010, she had already begun co-producingStar Cinema films in which she starred, includingDalaw (2010),Segunda Mano (2011), andSisterakas (2012).
In 2015, Aquino started producing vlogs on her own website,[49] featuring specifically cooking and travelvlogs.
| Year | Release date | Film | Cast | Production company (ies) | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | July 27 August 28 | Instant Mommy | Eugene Domingo | Cinemalaya Quantum Films | Leo Abaya |
| December 25 | My Little Bossings | Kris Aquino Vic Sotto Bimby Aquino Yap Ryzza Mae Dizon | OctoArts Films M - Zet TV Productions, Inc. APT Entertainment | Marlon N. Rivera | |
| 2014 | December 25 | Feng Shui 2 | Kris Aquino Coco Martin | ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. | Chito Roño |
Media related toKris Aquino at Wikimedia Commons
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