Years after AlDub became one of Philippine television’s biggest pop-culture phenomena, Alden Richards continues to look back on that extraordinary chapter of his career with gratitude—while acknowledging that its unprecedented popularity also intensified competition in the noontime television landscape.

Richards recently shared his reaction after Vice Ganda described AlDub as “phenomenal” during the actor’s guest appearance on the pilot episode of Gandang Gabi Vice.

For Alden, hearing the recognition from Vice carried significance because the height of AlDub placed Eat Bulaga! and It’s Showtime on opposite sides of an intense ratings and fan rivalry.

“I’m very happy and we’re very blessed that there were a lot of things that happened during that time [AlDub era] for us,” Alden said.

AlDub—the onscreen tandem of Alden and Maine Mendoza—exploded in popularity in 2015 after their interactions became a major part of Eat Bulaga!’s “Kalyeserye.” What began as a television pairing quickly developed into a nationwide phenomenon with a massive and highly engaged fan base.

But Alden stressed that their success was never intended to put their rival program in a difficult position.

“Yun nga sinasabi ko rin kay Vice, it was unintentional for us to put It’s Showtime in that situation,” he explained.

Looking back, the actor described the rivalry that developed around the two programs as part of the realities surrounding show business, where ratings, networks, personalities and fandoms are often placed in competition with one another.

“Pero I guess that’s the unfair reality of the culture and the world that we’re living in, especially in show business,” he added.

More than a decade after AlDub first captured the public imagination, Alden appears to view that period less through the lens of rivalry and more through appreciation for what both programs ultimately tried to accomplish.

“At the end of the day, both shows want to make people happy with the things that we air and show them,” he said.

His remarks offer a different perspective on a period frequently remembered for fierce competition between fandoms and television programs. Behind the numbers and rivalries, Alden believes entertainment ultimately shares a common purpose.

For the actor, Vice Ganda’s acknowledgment also serves as a reminder of how far Philippine television has moved from one of its most intensely competitive eras—and how AlDub remains an unforgettable part of his journey and local pop-culture history.