Willie Revillame facts for kids

Wilfredo "Willie" Buendia Revillame (born January 27, 1961) is a famous Filipino television host, actor, comedian, singer, and businessman. He has hosted many popular variety shows over the years. Some of his well-known shows include Lunch Date, 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila, and MTB.

Willie Revillame became very popular as the host of Wowowee from 2005 to 2010. After leaving ABS-CBN, he continued to host similar shows like Willing Willie (2010–2013), Wowowillie (2013), Wowowin (2015–2023), and Wil To Win (2024–present). In 2022, he helped businessman Manny Villar start a new TV network called ALLTV. Willie Revillame was the first big star to join ALLTV.

He is also known for his kindness, often giving away prizes like jackets, money, and other gifts to people on his shows and at events. In 2024, he ran for senator as an independent candidate but was not elected.

Early Life

Wilfredo Buendia Revillame was born on January 27, 1961, in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. His mother was Myrna Buendia. He had many siblings from both his mother's and father's sides of the family.

As a child, Willie lived in different places like Angeles City, Pampanga, and Caloocan in Metro Manila. He was cared for by various relatives. To help out, he took on many different jobs. He performed on the street, sold newspapers, worked as a passenger barker, and cleaned jeepneys.

Entertainment Career

Starting Out

Before becoming a host and actor, Willie Revillame started his career as a drummer.

He first appeared on television in GMA Network's show Lunch Date. This show ran from 1986 to 1993. He was one of Randy Santiago's "hawi boys," which means he helped manage the crowd.

Willie Revillame also acted in movies. One of his first films was Bobo Cop in 1988. He often played supporting roles alongside bigger stars. Later, he got a main role in the movie Alyas Boy Tigas: Ang Probinsyanong Wais.

In 1998, he moved to ABS-CBN. There, he joined the noontime show 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila. After that show ended, he became a main host of Magandang Tanghali Bayan. He hosted alongside Randy Santiago and John Estrada. He also appeared in the comedy show Richard Loves Lucy. He hosted other shows too, like the public service program Willingly Yours and the first season of the reality show Pinoy Big Brother.

Hosting Popular Shows

Willie Revillame became very famous in 2005 when he hosted Wowowee on ABS-CBN. This was a popular noontime variety game show. He started a tradition of giving away jackets to contestants and audience members. His famous line was, "Bigyan ng jacket 'yan!" (meaning "Give that a jacket!"). He continued this tradition in his later shows.

During Wowowee, there were some notable events. One was a crowd incident outside the PhilSports Arena in 2006. Many people were injured, and some lost their lives while waiting for a special show. Willie Revillame was not charged in connection with this event. Another incident involved a technical issue during a game segment in 2007. This led to discussions about the show's fairness.

In 2009, ABS-CBN decided to show live coverage of former President Corazon Aquino's funeral. This happened at the same time as Wowowee. Willie Revillame felt it was hard to make people happy when the country was sad. He said he wanted to record the show earlier to avoid clashing with the funeral.

Wowowee stopped airing on July 30, 2010. Willie Revillame then ended his contract with ABS-CBN.

From 2010 to 2013, Willie Revillame hosted shows on TV5. These shows included Willing Willie, which later became Wil Time Bigtime in 2011, and Wowowillie in 2013. After Wowowillie ended, he took a break to focus on his businesses.

In November 2014, Willie Revillame talked with executives at GMA Network about returning to TV. He launched his new variety game show Wowowin. He signed a contract with GMA Network on March 20, 2015. Wowowin first aired on May 10, 2015. It started as a Sunday afternoon show but became so popular that it moved to weekdays on February 1, 2016.

On February 5, 2022, GMA Network announced that Willie Revillame's contract would end soon. His show aired its final broadcast on the network on February 11, 2022. He decided not to renew his contract with GMA. Instead, he chose to work with Manny Villar on a new network called Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS), which launched as ALLTV. Wowowin continued through online streaming starting March 15, 2022. It then returned to TV on ALLTV on September 13, 2022.

In 2023, Willie Revillame and Manny Villar agreed to end his contract with AMBS. This happened after Wowowin stopped airing on ALLTV due to lower ratings and fewer advertisers. There were plans for Wowowin to return on government-owned networks, but these plans did not happen.

On April 26, 2024, Willie Revillame returned to TV5 after 11 years. He partnered with MediaQuest Ventures. On June 14, 2024, he announced his new show, Wil To Win, officially retiring the Wowowin name for a while. The first episode aired on July 14, 2024, with a special "Wil-Come Back Party."

Willie Revillame left Wil To Win on February 10, 2025, because he was running for senator. Director Randy Santiago took over as the substitute host. The show finished its run in April 2025.

In July 2025, it was reported that Wowowin would return to TV5 before the end of the year. A new studio called "Studio W" was built for the show. Willie Revillame is expected to return as host after the May 2025 election, where he was not elected as senator.

Political Involvement

Willie Revillame has been encouraged by former President Rodrigo Duterte to run for senator multiple times.

He was first encouraged to run in the 2010 national elections. However, comedian Dolphy advised him against it. Dolphy said politics was a "dirtier" field than entertainment. He told Willie to keep making people happy and maybe consider politics later. Willie Revillame did not run in 2010.

2022 Election and Tutok to Win Partylist

In October 2021, Willie Revillame decided not to run for the 2022 Senate election. He said he wanted to focus on hosting Wowowin. He also mentioned that he was not a lawyer and felt he lacked experience in making laws.

However, Willie Revillame strongly supported the Tutok To Win Party-List. This party-list was led by Sam Verzosa. The name of the party-list was the same as a segment on his show Wowowin.

2025 Senate Election

Willie Revillame showed interest in running for senator in the 2025 Senate election as early as January 30, 2024. He announced this during a rally for supporters of former President Duterte. However, in July 2024, he changed his mind. He said his three-year contract with TV5 prevented him from being involved in politics.

Despite this, on October 8, 2024, Willie Revillame officially filed his candidacy to run in the 2025 election. He received permission from MediaQuest chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and TV5. When asked about his lack of experience in lawmaking, Willie Revillame said that having "a heart open to helping others" was enough. He admitted he did not have a detailed plan for laws. Even though he was popular in surveys before the election, Willie Revillame did not win. He placed 22nd in the official results.

Business Ventures

Willie Revillame is known for developing the Wil Tower. This is a condominium building located near the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City. He developed it with his business partner, former Senate President Manny Villar. The Wil Tower officially opened on September 15, 2013.

Willie Revillame also used to own restaurants called W Bar and Wil Steak Town. These were located at Wil Events Place, near Wil Tower Mall and ABS-CBN. The Wil Tower Mall was built by the real estate company Vista Land. However, Willie Revillame later sold his shares in the project to Manny Villar.

In April 2015, Willie Revillame was interviewed at his rest house in Tagaytay. He had just signed a contract with GMA Network. During the interview, it was mentioned that he planned to build a 5-star resort-hotel. This hotel would be on a large piece of land he bought from the Madrigal family. His own rest house is also on this land.

After the Villar family bought Advanced Media Broadcasting System, which took over the old ABS-CBN TV frequencies, Willie Revillame joined them. He became a consultant and talent for their new network, ALLTV. This clarified that he was not an investor in the company.

Personal Life

Willie Revillame's hometown is Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija. He was first married to actress Princess Punzalan. In March 2005, he married Liz Almoro in a civil ceremony. This was followed by a church wedding in June 2005. Their marriage was later ended in 2008.

Willie Revillame has four children. They are actress Mary Rosalind "Meryll" Soriano, Louise Anne, Juan Emmanuel "Juamee", and Marimonte Shanelle.

Film and TV Appearances

Films

Television Shows

Music Albums

Awards and Recognition

Willie Revillame has received many awards for his work as a TV host and singer.

• Best Male TV Host (2005 and 2007) - Won
• Consumers Award Outstanding Variety Show (2008) - Won
• Consumers Award Outstanding Male TV Host (2008) - Won
• Novelty Singer of the Year (2010) - Won
• 2011 - PMPC Star Awards for TV - Best Variety Show (for Willing Willie)
• Celebrity Inductee, Eastwood City Walk Of Fame Philippines 2014 - Won
• 2015 - PMPC Star Awards for TV - Best Game Show (for Wowowin of GMA-7)
• 2015 - PMPC Star Awards for TV - Best Male Game Show Host
• 2016 - Inding-Indie Short Film Festival - Best Public Service TV Personality
• 2016 - Inding Indie Short Film Festival - Best Public Service TV Program of the Decade (for Wowowin of GMA-7)
• 2016 - PMPC Star Awards for TV - Best Game Show (for Wowowin of GMA-7)
• 2016 - Illumine Awards for Television (Global City Innovative College) - Most Innovative Game Show (for Wowowin of GMA-7)
• 2017 - NwSSU Students Choice Awards for Radio and Television (Northwest Samar State University) - Best Game Show (for Wowowin of GMA-7)

See also

In Spanish: Willie Revillame para niños