Joey De Leon reveals comedy trade secret

In the Philippines, if you ask people to name a celebrity who is famous for his quick wit and clever humor, the name Joey De Leon will definitely be among the top mentions.  One of the original hosts of longest running Philippine noontime show Eat Bulaga, along with his contemporaries Tito and Vic Sotto, Joey remains unparalleled in his bold approach to delivering double-meaning hilarity and right-on-the-mark commentaries that usually become popular slogans.

No one can deny that Joey De Leon has sheer talent that fuels his staying power in the ever-changing and discriminating arena of Philippine show business. As the years and decades of his showbiz career accumulate, so does his mastery of the quirks and traits of the viewing public.

Joey’s quick wit is a rarity, if not the envy in the industry. According to him, humorists are born, not made. He readily shares his trade secret because he knows that it’s not something anyone can use to his advantage if he’s not born with the wit and cleverness of a true humorist to begin with.

“My trade secret is simple: it’s the belief that comedy is nothing but the abnormalization of the normal. There’s only one way of being normal, but the approach and attack to make it comical is countless,” Joey disclosed. “This is why you don’t hear me saying that I’m running out of ideas because there are countless ways of abnormalizing the normal.”

As a seasoned comedian, Joey already knows by instinct if a comedian is a natural or if he’s just trying to be funny or fidgeting his way out of foiled punchline. “It comes naturally. I know at first glance if someone is trapped in his own joke. And I’m not scrimpy with my praises. For instance if Wally or Jose says something that’s really funny, I praise them right away. Wag kang magtipid ng papuri sa ibang tao. Support your colleagues and give credit where credit is due. Release your praises and admiration, don’t hold back.”

Joey adds that this kind of support for colleagues contributes to the good rapport shared by the Eat Bulaga hosts. “We support each other. It’s important that you’re a good listener, that you listen to your co-host well. There are even times in Eat Bulaga when we understand each other’s quick glances, mata pa lang nagkakaintindihan na kayo. That makes our comedy much more effective. It comes naturally to us to follow up on each other’s jokes. We’re lucky in Eat Bulaga that we have this very good rapport among us hosts.”



Indeed, Eat Bulaga is blessed with a set of hosts that really jive with one another to make the viewers’ noontime habit consistently entertaining. And having a seasoned and instinctive comedian such as Joey De Leon is a great advantage in assuring the steady flow of laughter not only from the audience but among the program co-hosts as well, making Eat Bulaga a source of sheer fun and entertainment everyone craves for everyday.
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