The reality TV couple on Philippine TV, AlDub, may have broken Twitter records in October when their concert at the Philippine Arena resulted in 41 million tweets. However, that seems insufficient for American TV host Ellen DeGeneres to invite Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, or YayaDub, on her talk show.
But this week, a Photoshopped image of Ellen flashing a fan sign with the words "I want Aldub on The Ellen show!" spread on social media, sending fans of the pair in a frenzy of tweets, Instagram and Facebook posts and text messages congratulating the pair for the feat.
After all, it was Ellen who helped launch the international career of Filipina singer Charice Pempengco, known for her hit song "Pyramid."
Cracker Daily also reported that Ellen had invited the pair to her show, although it did not present any proof of the invitation.
However, when Manila Times examined the photo of Ellen, and researched further, the daily verified it was a fan sign from Ellen to greet British singer Sam Smith on his birthday. Photoshop again appears to be the culprit as well as images of U.S. President Barack Obama allegedly watching AlDub on TV, posted on Facebook.
The pair was actually just discovered by accident. Richards was visiting the set of "Eat Bulaga" a decades-old noontime show on GMA7 when his face was seen on the monitor by Mendoza, hired by the show to serve as personal maid, or yaya, to a male actor, Wally Bayola, who plays a mean and rich grandmother on the "Kalyeserye" or street reality show segment of "Eat Bulaga."
The producers got Mendoza who has achieved YouTube fame for her Dubsmash where she contorts her face as she pretends to sing hit songs or mouth famous movie or TV lines. She saw Richards and commented he is handsome, and they two created TV history. The two now, besides breaking Twitter records, have several commercial endorsements.
The segment also helped boost the careers of the three male actors who portray the grandmothers of YayaDub. Bayola, who portrays, Lola Nidora, was involved a few years ago in a sex scandal with a female dancer on the same show. Jose Bayola, who plays Lola Tinidora (mini fork), was also accused of being part of his wife's pyramid scheme. The two previously had to take several months of leave of absence from the show.
The only one among the grandmothers untouched by scandal is actor Paolo Ballesteros, who plays Lola Tidora and sometimes Lola Isadora. However, because of his makeup tutorials, Ballesteros is hounded by gay rumors, although he is a single parent who sired a child by his ex-girlfriend.
But since even foreign news agencies such as BBC and CNN had covered the phenomenon, the popular paid would probably also catch the attention of Ellen DeGeneros soon.