Kai Montinola urges ‘hardshippers’ to respect boundaries 

Kai Montinola addresses toxic shipping culture, urging fans to stop online attacks against rival artists.

Kai Montinola is urging fans who intensely “ship” her with fellow stars to keep the fandom fun without crossing personal boundaries.

In a recent interview addressing “hardshippers,” Montinola acknowledged their passion and expressed gratitude for their support of her and her co-stars. However, she reminded fans that celebrities are simply doing their jobs.

“Of course, they love to do that because they’re very passionate,” she said. “Thank you, because somehow, you are able to support us as artists alongside the many people we work with.”

Montinola drew a firm line regarding behavior that negatively impacts others.

“I hope we can remain calm,” Montinola said, standing beside her current on-screen partner, Kyle Echarri. “At the end of the day, we are just here to work, entertain people, and we mean no harm. Let’s not do anything that could make someone feel bad about themselves.”

Her remarks arrive amid ongoing discussions about Filipino love-team culture, where critics continue to question the toxic side of online shipping—particularly when fan loyalty devolves into online attacks against other artists or rival supporters.

Montinola and Echarri are set to headline their first film together, “First Sem,” a college romantic comedy directed by Rod Marmol featuring newcomers Joaquin Arce and Lella Ford. The duo previously demonstrated their on-screen chemistry in the action series “Roja,” starred as real-life couple Team HaNie in a “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode, and performed together on “ASAP Natin ’To.”

Despite the ongoing fandom noise surrounding their partnership, Montinola closed with a simple request: “I hope we spread more love, and I hope you enjoy my partnership with Kyle in this movie.”

READ: