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Toni Gonzaga on 'Unshaken with Gary V'

Josh Mercado

Toni Gonzaga recalled the “noisiest” time in her life, when she received so much backlash in 2022 for publicly endorsing certain political candidates — a time when she was also “privately pregnant.”In a recent interview with Gary Valenciano for his “Unshaken” podcast, Gonzaga acknowledged that she didn&#x27;t think the internet noise would go away.“There was never a time when I felt things would get better or that they would [ease up.] I was pregnant at the time and received death wishes. I never thought it would be quiet again. Today, I still hear some noises here and there. What changed for me was my mindset. Everything changed internally,” Gonzaga opened up.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786406063640Toni.JPG" style="width:655px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="655"/>Toni Gonzaga on &#x27;Unshaken with Gary V&#x27;</div>Explaining how the backlash changed her for the better, Gonzaga went on, “It made me kinder and less judgmental because I know what it is like to be judged every day. It made me compassionate. Naging vulnerable ako. It molded me into a new person who is completely different from who I was before.”“I thought I was going to be bitter, mean to people, pero naging kinder ako, softer, more understanding, more compassionate,” Gonzaga added.The actress-host then told Valenciano that when she was most hated, she felt most loved by those she admires. “At the time, I felt the most loved I&#x27;d ever felt. When you&#x27;re going through something, [you get the impression] that the rest of the world hates you. That was the time when I felt the most loved by my family, random people, and people I admire. Every day, God would send me someone who would tell me, &#x27;You are loved.&#x27; When I was most hated, I felt most loved.”She also confessed that she once believed her career was over. “I prayed to God and said, ‘Maybe this is it. It&#x27;s the final curtain. This marks the end of it all. It&#x27;s over. I had 20 years. It was a good run.’ So I told God, &#x27;If that was it and this is how it ends, so be it.&#x27; Then you realize it&#x27;s not over until God says it is.”“I would go to my closet and face that battle. If it became too noisy, I would simply kneel down. Kneel down, pray, and surrender everything to Him — the hurtful words, the bad wishes. Sometimes you believe that this is what you deserve, that you deserve to hear this, that you deserve everything that has been said or done to you, and you accept it,” she added.After everything she went through in 2022, Gonzaga sent a message about choosing battles: “I have always believed that you cannot fight your battles by debating or arguing with people. You will never win because someone will always be more intelligent and capable of defending themselves than you. There is always more than what you have and know. And you&#x27;ll never know.“

In a recent interview with Gary Valenciano for his “Unshaken” podcast, Toni Gonzaga acknowledged that she didn't think the internet noise would go away.

In a recent interview with Gary Valenciano for his “Unshaken” podcast, Toni Gonzaga acknowledged that she didn't think the internet noise would go away.

Toni Gonzaga on 2022 backlash: ‘I thought I was going to be bitter, pero naging kinder ako’

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Toni Gonzaga on 2022 backlash: ‘I thought I was going to be bitter, pero naging kinder ako’

Josh Mercado

Published August 11, 2026 11:24 AM PHT

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Toni Gonzaga

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