Life after Eat Bulaga: What’s up, Jimmy Santos?

Coining the famous catchphrase “I love you three times a day,” Jimmy Santos brought joy to every Filipino as a former host of the long-running noontime show, “Eat Bulaga.”

Jimmy surprised the “Legit Dabarkads” by appearing on “E.A.T.” during the “Gimme 5” segment after being out of the spotlight for a while.

Before entering the stage to surprise Joey De Leon for his birthday, Jimmy was introduced as Daddy Ethan, the driver of Wally Bayola.

Jimmy then appeared onstage, surprising the hosts, including Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Paolo Ballesteros, Atasha Muhlach, and Allak K.

“Happy birthday. Alam mo naman na hindi kita makalimutan.Nakatambay lang ako e, tapos naimbitahan akong mag-drive,” Jimmy said to Joey.

It was a full circle moment and an emotional one as Jimmy again appeared on live television. Before leaving the stage, Vic asked Jimmy for his birthday message to Joey.

“I’d like to greet you a happy, happy, happy birthday. Whatever happens in this country, I still love you all three times a day,” Jimmy said.

“Especially those people surrounding the vicinity. I miss you all. Thank you very much. Still, ‘Eat Bulaga’ is here to stay,” he added.

Vic then corrected Jimmy, saying: “Mali, ‘E.A.T.’! Wala kang kupas.”

Jimmy’s recent appearance on “E.A.T” sparked curiosity about his return to showbiz. The actor-comedian was last seen on an episode of Eat Bulaga’s “Bawal Judgmental” in December 2021.

He also appeared in Bong Revilla’s “Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis!” series in July.

Jimmy, who is no longer active in entertainment, updates fans via his YouTube channel “Jimmy Saints” after relocating to Canada. The comedian currently has 700,000 followers on YouTube as of Nov. 16.

“Ako po ay nandito sa tinatawag nilang ‘South Pointe Bottle Depot.’ Ang ibig sabihin niyan, binabalik po at magbebenta ng mga lata rito, ‘yung mga pinaglalagyan ng mga tubig, softdrinks ay talaga namang dinedeposito dito at binebenta nila,” Jimmy said.

(This means that they return their cans and water and soft drinks containers, which are then deposited and sold at a specific value.)

He explained that all bottles and cans have value, so Canadians are encouraged to collect and return them to a local depot.

After collecting the recyclables, he was issued a receipt for the total amount. Jimmy received 15 Canadian dollars from recycling empty soda cans and bottles.

From sports to comedy 

It was a rollercoaster of events for Jimmy after becoming a professional basketball player for one year. He played just one season in the pro ranks during the PBA’s inaugural season in 1975, averaging 2.6 points in 13 games with Seven-Up, where he had Jumbo Salvador – a member of a prominent showbiz clan – as a teammate. He then made his debut acting film, Bontoc, with the late action King Fernando Poe Jr.

Since then, Jimmy ventured into his comedy side as he became part of the series Iskul Bukol and the variety show T.O.D.A.S: Television’s Outrageously Delightful All-Star Show.

From his witty punch lines and talent to making the audience laugh, Jimmy scored his first lead role in “I Love You 3x a Day” with Carmi Martin and Nova Villa; the film’s title became his famous catchphrase. Another memorable film of his was Bondying: The Little Big Boy, Wooly Booly: Ang Classmate Kong Alien, and Humanap ka ng Panget.

Being a staple name in the comedy scene on Philippine television, Jimmy became a regular host on “Eat Bulaga” from 1983 up until 2020, making him one of the most extended hosts from the show.

In 2013, he returned to action via Bang Bang Alley with co-star Megan Young.

In 2014, Jimmy returned to comedy via the film My Illegal Wife with co-stars Zanjoe Marudo and Pokwang. His most recent film is TOL in 2019 with co-stars Arjo Atayde and Jessy Mendiola. — Carissa Alcantara