Paolo Ballesteros

**Paolo Ballesteros** is a Filipino actor, comedian, TV host, model and impersonator. He has appeared in films and several TV shows, and has been one of the co-hosts of longtime noontime show *Eat Bulaga!* since 2001.

During his early years on *Eat Bulaga!*, Paolo was paired with co-host Ciara Sotto and were together dubbed as CiaPao. He was eventually included in the segment *Juan for All, All for Juan* with co-hosts Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola. Together, they became known as JoWaPao. He was also known for playing Lola Tidora in the *KalyeSerye* segment.

He was also known in TV5 for hosting *Bawal Na Game Show*, portraying as Barby Ghorl & PoPinoy, with *Eat Bulaga!*'s co-host Maine Mendoza. He is currently a host of *E.A.T.*

Beyond TV5, he is famous for his make-up transformation and for playing gay roles.

## Early life

Paolo Elito Macapagal Ballesteros IV was born on 29 November 1982 in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija to Elito Amorsolo Ballesteros Jr. and Danielida Macapagal, the only boy and youngest among three children. His sisters are Lailin and Roxanne. His father was a self-employed artist who served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. His mother is a dietitian who works in a hospital. Paolo grew up in Cabanatuan. When he was six, his father moved to New York and decided to start a family with his new wife there. As a result, Paolo has a half-sibling named Jamie.

He finished his elementary education at the College of the Immaculate Conception, while his secondary education was at the Cabanatuan City Science High School. Paolo pursued a degree in AB Communications at Saint Louis University in Baguio, but failed to finish after entering showbiz.

Paolo is the great-grandson of Filipino National Artist Fernando Amorsolo; Paolo's paternal grandmother is his daughter. Interestingly, that same grandmother is the sister of Eula Valdez's mother, so Eula is his aunt. In addition, Paolo is also a distant maternal relative of Joey de Leon's wife, Eileen Macapagal, who is also related to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

## Career with TV5

### 2020s

It was announced that Paolo Ballesteros will host a game show, later titled *Bawal Na Game Show*, with Wally Bayola. Ballesteros portrays as Barby Ghorl while Bayola is Bebe Ghorl.

Three months after the show ended, he returned to TV5 as a host of *PoPinoy*.

Today, he's now one of the masters of ceremonies of a spiritual successor to the most famous variety show known as *E.A.T.* (also known as "Dabarkads"), as he's also a sidekick to the TVJ themselves. That's also where he returned to TV5 again.

## Beyond TV5

Growing up, young Paolo Ballesteros aspired to become a famous celebrity someday. In high school, Paolo was part of the theater guild and the glee club, starring in plays like *Once on This Island*, *Three Rats*, and *Kutob.*

In an interview, Paolo revealed that he wrote at the back of his notebook and memorized the address of TAPE, Inc. office, the production company behind *Eat Bulaga!*, in hopes of joining the show's segments and contests, especially *Mr. Pogi*, someday. Even though he never joined *Mr. Pogi*, Paolo actually became part of the special Valentine's Day reality dating segment *Heart to Get* in the late 1990s as a searcher. The segment at that time was hosted by Vic Sotto and Donita Rose.

Paolo was studying at Saint Louis University when one of his cousins took him to an advertising agency. He went to auditions and did VTRs, which started his appearance in various television commercials. Well-known actress Eula Valdez, his aunt, took notice of Paolo's attempts in showbiz that she introduced his nephew to Joji Dingcong, a talent manager who previously handled talents like Piolo Pascual and Cogie Domingo.

In 2001, Paolo was introduced by his talent manager to TAPE Inc. executive Malou Choa-Fagar, who then offered him to become a host of a segment. He accepted.

In October 2001, Paolo Ballesteros joined the longest-running noontime show as a host of the segment *U-Bet*, a pageant for university students from all over the Philippines. As part of the segment, Paolo hosted on remote locations visiting university campuses across the country with Ruby Rodriguez and fellow showbiz newcomers Phoemela Baranda and Derek Ramsay. Paolo was only 18 years old at the time he joined the show.

By February 2002, the big bosses of *Eat Bulaga!* made him a daily regular host, so he decided to quit his studies and relocated with an uncle in Makati City. Initially, his father was against the idea of him quitting school, but when his father came home for a vacation and saw what he was doing doing, he consented*.*

Since Ciara Sotto became a regular host on *Eat Bulaga!* in April 2005, she has displayed her own flair for comedy through knock-knock jokes in the segment *Bulagaan*. Along the way, Ciara and Paolo were paired together and slowly morphed into a loveteam. The show's fans immediately fell in love with the tandem, which became known as CiaPao. According to Ciara and Paolo, the reason they click on and off the camera is that they are just being themselves. They are not "nagpapa-showbiz" or being pretentious when it comes to their friendship. Ciara expressed,

*"I think it is very different from the ordinary and traditional love team kasi we are not being paid in Eat Bulaga! para maging love team kami. We are being paid for doing the show as ourselve*s."

Immediately, the loveteam appeared on GMA Network shows such as *Mahiwagang Baul* (2005) as well as the Season 8 episode "Love-an o Bawi" and Season 11 episode "'Best Friends" of the drama romance anthology *Love to Love* (2005)*.*

In the meantime, Paolo also became famous for dressed in drag for the beauty pageantry segment *Bebot* on *Eat Bulaga!.* An impersonation of Miss International 2005 Precious Lara Quigaman, Paolo played Precious Paula Nicole and won the segment's crown in 2005.

Originally, the only mainstay hosts of *Juan for All, All for Juan: Bayanihan of d' Pipol* were Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola. On 12 October 2010, Paolo Ballesteros was asked to host in the barangay for the first time when Wally developed sore eyes and was absent for a few days. When Wally returned two weeks later, Paolo stayed and became the third mainstay barangay host of the segment, ultimately forming the comic trio of JoWaPao.

In 2015, the comedy trio eventually became even more popular after finding fame as the Zobeyala triplet sisters in the hit segment *Kalyeserye*. Paolo Ballesteros played the role of Lola Tidora, the fashionable and trendy sister who is known for her "Regine. Whoo!" catchphrase. The trio's portrayals of the characters were positively received by critics and fans alike, further fueling the fire of the AlDub phenomenon.

Since the conception of *Juan for All, All for Juan*, the hosts have visited countless barangays across the Philippines, bringing surprises and providing entertainment to the Filipino people.

Apart from being a regular host on *Eat Bulaga!*, Paolo is also an actor and comedian. He is also popular for his numerous makeup transformations that he shares on social media for all his fans to see, which has garnered international recognition from celebrities and media outlets. Whether it’s to look like Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, or Anne Hathaway, among many others, Ballesteros has shown time and time again just how skilled he is when it comes to his prowess with cosmetic brushes.

As the great-grandson of Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo, Paolo has produced some of his own artworks, which he calls #PAOnting, in the form of resin paintings. His impeccable artworks have been praised by fans and other celebrities after posting them on his Instagram account. Some of his painting have been purchased by his *Eat Bulaga!* co-hosts as well as other celebrities like Jed Madela and JP Duray.

Apart from being a regular host on *Eat Bulaga!*, Paolo is also an actor and comedian. He is also popular for his numerous makeup transformations that he shares on social media for all his fans to see, which has garnered international recognition from celebrities and media outlets. Whether it’s to look like Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, or Anne Hathaway, among many others, Ballesteros has shown time and time again just how skilled he is when it comes to his prowess with cosmetic brushes.

As the great-grandson of Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo, Paolo has produced some of his own artworks, which he calls #PAOnting, in the form of resin paintings. His impeccable artworks have been praised by fans and other celebrities after posting them on his Instagram account. Some of his painting have been purchased by his *Eat Bulaga!* co-hosts as well as other celebrities like Jed Madela and JP Duray.

Apart from being a regular host on *Eat Bulaga!*, Paolo is also an actor and comedian. He is also popular for his numerous makeup transformations that he shares on social media for all his fans to see, which has garnered international recognition from celebrities and media outlets. Whether it’s to look like Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, or Anne Hathaway, among many others, Ballesteros has shown time and time again just how skilled he is when it comes to his prowess with cosmetic brushes.

As the great-grandson of Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo, Paolo has produced some of his own artworks, which he calls #PAOnting, in the form of resin paintings. His impeccable artworks have been praised by fans and other celebrities after posting them on his Instagram account. Some of his painting have been purchased by his *Eat Bulaga!* co-hosts as well as other celebrities like Jed Madela and JP Duray.

## Personal life

Paolo Ballesteros was romantically involved with Maria Katrina "Kaye" Nevada, Paolo’s classmate in college. Their relationship was only short-lived before breaking up a year later. They have a daughter named Keira Claire (born November 29, 2008). In the early 2010s, Paolo and his ex-girlfriend was caught in a controversy following a lawsuit with Katrina's parents who took custody over their daughter. The courts favored the custody of Paolo’s daughter to the pair. However, their daughter stayed with Kaye to live in the United States, which is an amicable agreement between the former couple.

Paolo is openly gay. Initially, he did not confirm his sexuality but has strongly hinted through his Instagram posts, by accepting gay roles both in film and television, and with jokes about his sexuality on *Eat Bulaga!*. In April 2017, Paolo posted pictures of him together with another man, wearing identical rings and matching tattoos. Included in the caption were the heart and rainbow emojis, a symbol of the LGBT pride. Netizens speculated that the man in the picture may have had a relationship with Paolo, and the post is their way of publicly coming out.

In 2019, he confirmed his sexuality during a press conference for the comedy film *The Panti Sisters*. After being questioned, he responded that he feels there is no need for him to confirm whether he is gay or not, saying he has always been open about his sexual orientation.