Arzen Rose Dulzura

Jane de Leon claps back at netizen who criticized her support of the ‘Girl’s Love’ scene in PH: ‘Kasama ba kita sa bahay to know everything?’

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Actress Jane de Leon found herself at the center of an online discussion after she openly voiced her support for the growing Girl’s Love (GL) scene in the Philippine entertainment industry – only to be met with harsh criticism from a netizen questioning her contribution to the community. </p><p>Jane’s name has long been associated with GL conversations, dating back to her time when she played as the Pinoy superhero in the Kapamilya series <em>Darna</em>, where her on-screen chemistry with co-star Janella Salvador, who played Valentina, sparked widespread enthusiasm from fans. Their dynamic gave rise to the popular “JaneNella” and “DarLentina” tandems, with fans openly calling for the two actresses to reunite in a GL project following the series. </p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-22" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUx0S42Ek-u/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A22%2C%22os%22%3A7445321.399999976%2C%22ls%22%3A16447.69999998808%2C%22le%22%3A16447.69999998808%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="844" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-22" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>On February 26, Jane shared a post on X, which spoke about the growing number of Filipina actresses willing to take on GL roles and the need to further develop sapphic media in the country. </p><p>Along with the repost, Jane shared her thoughts, celebrating the progress the community has made over the years. “We’ve fought for this space for years, and seeing GL grow like this is truly powerful. This is such a beautiful step forward. I genuinely hope it continues to break barriers, open more doors, and create real opportunities for everyone here in the Philippines. 🤍” </p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2026928525505343847&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-02-28T16%3A39%3A20.932526%3A2a1698ea-ed54-4b79-ba4f-266ffc818767%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=15c1f9a005228c9d7d385ada12f6ae5ae76d2d4d&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:514px;height:444px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2026928525505343847"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>While many welcomed her message, one netizen directly challenged her, accusing the actress of having no real contribution to the GL industry and alleging that she only engaged in “queer-baiting.” </p><p>“Ate, wala kang ambag sa GL community. Sana alam mo yan. Anong nagawa mo for this community? Mang queer-bait?... Very artista ka dyan ha. Walang WE dahil hindi ka kasali,” the netizen wrote. The same user went on to question why Jane did not take on a GL project after <em>Darna</em>, dragging her management and family into the discussion.</p><p>In a firm response, the actress did not let the remarks pass and explained that decisions regarding projects go beyond a single person and revealed that GL opportunities had, in fact, been presented to her. </p><p>“Kasama ba kita sa bahay to know everything? There were multiple GL offers after the series. Hindi lang ako ang involved sa decisions. Projects like these require both artists to agree, and there were instances where the other party/partner also declined for their own reasons. ☺️,” Jane wrote. </p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2027276879586324625&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-02-28T16%3A39%3A20.932526%3A2a1698ea-ed54-4b79-ba4f-266ffc818767%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=15c1f9a005228c9d7d385ada12f6ae5ae76d2d4d&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:514px;height:508px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2027276879586324625"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>“GL projects aren&#x27;t one-person shows. Contracts, timing, management - maraming factors. Wag isa lang ang pagbuntungan. Ano, blame game? Di na lang maging happy. 🫢,” she added. </p><p>When the netizen brought up Jane’s mother and implied her alleged lack of acceptance toward the queer community, the actress responded: “2026 na. My mom loves the community. Di ka maka-move on? Feeling nanay. Feeling anak. 💅🏻” </p><p>Following the exchange, many netizens came to Jane’s defense, expressing support for her and disappointment over the backlash she received despite openly advocating for GL representation. The actress later reminded her followers to choose love over hate, reinforcing the message she has consistently shared online. </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-20" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdM3owPd_p/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A20%2C%22os%22%3A7363286.5%2C%22ls%22%3A16447.69999998808%2C%22le%22%3A16447.69999998808%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="822" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-20" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>As early as 2022, the chemistry between her and Janella’s character in <em>Darna </em>became one of the most talked-about elements of the series, even though the characters were written as mortal enemies. The “DarLentina” fandom quickly grew into an active and creative community that continues to root for both actresses. </p><p>Before the series ended in 2023, Jane openly acknowledged the unexpected support. </p><p>“With doon sa mga fans, sobrang &#x27;yun nga, lagi naming sinasabi na sobrang unexpected talaga na sumabog &#x27;yung Darlentina and JaneNella, especially sa panahon ngayon. Hindi naman natin inaakala na mangyayari,” she said. </p><p>Fans have since been vocal about wanting a follow-up project, a sentiment Jane herself has welcomed. </p><p>“Why not?” she previously said when asked about doing a GL project. “Sana &#x27;yung story eh. Kasi it&#x27;s all about the craft din naman, &#x27;di ba kasi artist din kami. So challenge din &#x27;yun sa amin, if ever.” </p><p>“Maybe &#x27;yung sa amin, it&#x27;s not just about GL, but it&#x27;s about friendship and women empowerment,” she added. </p><p>In 2024, Jane and Janella briefly reunited on screen when they starred in the music video for Janella’s song “Hey You”, where they portrayed queer girlfriends.</p>

<p>Jane de Leon addressed a netizen who criticized her support for the Girl’s Love (GL) scene, firmly explaining her side while reaffirming her long-standing support for queer representation in Philippine entertainment. </p>

Jane de Leon addressed a netizen who criticized her support for the Girl’s Love (GL) scene, firmly explaining her side while reaffirming her long-standing support for queer representation in Philippine entertainment.