For many, Karylle is one of the faces of “It’s Showtime,” for she has been among its mainstays ever since 2010.
However, there’s actually more to her than being a host of the long-running noontime show—not to mention the daughter of Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla—since she’s also a talented singer-composer, a brilliant actress, a promising podcast and radio show host, an awesome businesswoman, and a die-hard Korean pop fan.
And she gave us glimpses of these different aspects of herself during her appearance in the latest episode of the TFC online talk program “Are You G?” hosted by MJ Felipe.
Viewers were given a peek into the cozy and chic KTV bar that she and her “It’s Showtime” co-host, friend, and business partner Anne Curtis owned, as they filmed the initial part of the interview there.
Karylle confessed that she actually didn’t have an entrepreneurial mind before until she was influenced by one of her closest showbiz friends, Diana Zubiri, who owned a number of food carts before, as well as by other celebrities who have been running famous restaurants in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
She vowed to venture into business once she got to find the one that she would be passionate about or that was related to music—and the “Rockstar KTV” was born in 2017.
After giving her a tour around “Rockstar” and even singing a couple of songs in one of the karaoke rooms, MJ then brought Karylle to a hanbok rental shop where they rented a pair of traditional Korean outfits for his and hers.
The host brought up Karylle’s fascination for Hallyu, beginning with her ultimate favorite Korean actor, Lee Dong-wook, whom she had the chance to interview in April 2025 through a media junket. She then enthused about her love for K-dramas, which, according to her, stirs up her fondness of her favorite college subject, Philosophy.
“Aside from ang cute ng mga bida, ang ganda ng soundtrack, ang ganda ng story, I really like the moral dilemma,” she began, then expounded that it’s the feeling when the audiences root for the protagonist but then eventually find themselves confused whether they would continue to love him/her or they would loathe. Besides, K-dramas also demonstrate that not because a character is the bida doesn’t mean that he/she would be spared from the consequences of their wrongdoings.
While there are guys out there who poke fun at their girlfriends or wives who are avid K-pop fans, Karylle revealed that her husband, “Spongecola” frontman Yael Yuzon, is actually “worse” than her. He attended the fan meet of a K-series and even wrote a song inspired by it, as well as got a tattoo of a pair of chopsticks and a bird that both symbolize Korea.
They then headed to a photo studio wherein they got to immortalize their Korean-inspired looks and further talked about her passion for storytelling as a theater actress, which started through her appearance in the stage musical “Little Mermaid” in 2000.
“Siguro, [number] one disiplina. [Number] two, I love to sing, dance, and act. So, whenever people ask me, ‘What do you prefer, singing or acting?’ I say, ‘Why not both, and why not together?” Karylle replied when asked what she loves about theater acting.
As if she’s not that busy yet, the It’s Showtime host even launched her podcast aptly named “K’s Drama” in 2004, through which she got to share her personal insights and stories on life, love, and career either just by herself or along with her guests. At the same time, she also joined a morning radio show, which helped her be more comfortable with her voice, especially when speaking her mind.
“I’ve always felt na because you grew up privileged, parang, ‘Ano ba ‘yang sinasabi mo, parang wala siyang worth, tapos di mo naman alam ang struggle ng buhay’. I just have that weird, hindi siya insecurity pero it was a block. So, ngayon na I own my voice, I freely express, ang ganda rin naman mag-share although minsan, ‘Shocks, overshare ba?” Karylle divulged.
In the last part of their interview, wherein they exchanged thoughts regarding their conversation at a Korean coffee shop, she expressed how grateful she is that her projects over the past years came to her when she was already prepared for them.
“I’m also a believer [in] being patient. When it’s your turn, be prepared and everything will fall into place,” she conveyed.