Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (born February 14, 1971), professionally known as Kris Aquino (), is a Filipino television host, actress, producer, socialite and businesswoman. Dubbed as Philippine's "Queen of All Media", Aquino has hosted numerous talk shows and game shows, starred in several films and television series, and currently making waves in the social media platform. She is the youngest daughter of the assassinated Senator

Benigno Aquino Jr. Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aqui ...

and the late President

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...

, who served as the 11th

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of ...

. Her brother

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

served as the 15th President of the Philippines from 2010 until 2016. Her debut film appearance was in '' Pido Dida: Sabay Tayo'' and was also known for her roles in horror films '' Feng Shui'' and '' Sukob'', which was the highest-grossing Filipino film of 2006. She is also widely known as a top celebrity product endorser and a philanthropist who advocates for

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

awareness, children's rights,

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

rights, culture and art appreciation,

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

, and democratic reforms.

Early life

Kris Aquino was born as Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines, to

Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

and

who was, at the time, a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

regime. The youngest of five children, her siblings are Maria Elena "Ballsy" Aquino-Cruz, Aurora Corazon "Pinky" Aquino-Abellada, former Philippine President

Benigno S. Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

, and Victoria Elisa "Viel" Aquino-Dee. She is the cousin of actress and equestrienne

Mikee Cojuangco Mikaela María Antonia "Mikee" de los Reyes Cojuangco-Jaworski (born February 26, 1974) is a Filipino sports official, equestrienne, model, former actress and television host. She was a gold medalist at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Kor ...

, and the niece of former Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, Jr. When she was a baby, her father was arrested and jailed; her mother raised Aquino and her siblings. During the 1978 parliamentary elections when her jailed father was a candidate, the seven-year-old Aquino was a stand-in for him at campaign rallies. She was featured on the front page of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and on the cover of ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

''. Aquino spent most of her elementary school days in the United States, where the Aquino family was in exile. When she was 12 years old, her father was assassinated on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport. Kris Aquino returned to the Philippines and attended rallies against the Marcos regime. After the Philippine Revolution of 1986, which removed

from his 21-year regime, the teenage Aquino began guesting stints on television dramas and comedies, as well as talk shows. She made her film debut with actor-comedian Rene Requiestas in '' Pido Dida'', which was a blockbuster hit. Aquino had a commercially steady career, and managed to score an acting nomination for ''The Fatima Buen Story''. She starred in a film based on a true-to-life murder, the Vizconde massacre. Its financial success and numerous starring appearances in crime films of the same vein, earned her the nickname "Massacre Queen" by newspaper critics.

Education

Aquino finished her elementary school education at the Poveda Learning Center (now

Saint Pedro Poveda College Saint Pedro Poveda College (more commonly known as Poveda, formerly known as the Poveda Learning Centre and Institución Teresiana) is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational school run by the Teresian Association of Lay Missionaries, which was ...

) in

. She went to high school at the Colegio San Agustin-Makati, where she was classmates with Pinky Webb and

Karen Davila Kristine Karen Lising Davila-Sta. Ana (; born November 21, 1970), professionally known as Karen Davila, is a Filipino journalist. Early life Davila went to high school at the Colegio San Agustin – Makati. She took a degree of Bachelor of ...

Career

Television

Aquino shifted her sights to a television career as a showbiz talk show host with the launching of the talk show ''

Kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its dist ...

''. It was produced by

Viva Television Viva Television Corporation is a Philippine television production company owned by Viva Communications. History Viva Communications ventured into television production in 1986 with '' The Sharon Cuneta Show''. Cuneta's big screen success easily ...

on the

People's Television Network People's Television Network ( fil, Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI), one of th ...

. It was on GMA Network's showbiz oriented talk show '' Startalk'', which she co-hosted with

Boy Abunda Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. (; born October 29, 1960), popularly known as Boy Abunda, is a Filipino professor, television host, publicist and talent manager. Early life and education Boy Abunda was born as Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. in ...

and

Lolit Solis Lolita "Lolit" A. Solis (born May 20, 1947) is a Filipina talk show host, entertainment news writer, and talent manager. Personal life Solis was born on May 20, 1947 in Manila, Philippines. She grew up in the squatters’ area in Lardizabal, Sa ...

, that her hosting skills attracted attention. She later joined

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

as a contract artist and was launched in morning talk show ''

Today with Kris Aquino ''Today with Kris Aquino'' is a Philippine talk show hosted by actress Kris Aquino which premiered on November 18, 1996, and concluded on March 9, 2001, on ABS-CBN. It is claimed by some as the Filipino version of '' The Oprah Winfrey Show''. It ...

''. Following are showbiz-oriented talk show '' The Buzz'' alongside

and game show Game KNB?. From 2002 to 2004, she hosted the talk show ''

Morning Girls with Kris and Korina ''Morning Girls with Kris and Korina'' was a morning talk show on ABS-CBN, hosted by broadcaster Korina Sanchez and Kris Aquino which was aired from July 22, 2002 to May 28, 2004, replacing '' Talk TV'' and was replaced by ''Good Morning, Kris''. ...

'' with known broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez. In 2007, Aquino took a showbiz break leaving '' The Buzz'' and the reformatted ''

Pilipinas, Game Ka Na Ba? ''Game Ka Na Ba?'', formerly ''Pilipinas Game Ka Na Ba'' (stylized as ''Game KNB?'') is a Philippine game show created by ABS-CBN. The main goal of the game is to win 2 million Philippine pesos, pesos (either 1 million, progressive jackpot, or a ...

'' where she was replaced by

Edu Manzano Eduardo "Edu" Manzano (; born September 14, 1955) is a Filipino-American actor, fashion model, TV commercial model, comedian, politician, United States Air Force veteran and television game host. He was previously the host of game shows ''The We ...

, when she gave birth to her second son. Aquino also hosted the '' Philippine franchise'' of ''

Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a.k ...

'', which is part of ABS-CBN's primetime lineup, where she also appeared on the US version as part of a ''Deal or No Deal'' "around the world" event which hosted by

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian-American comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel voiced the character Gizmo in the 1984 film '' Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. ...

in May 2008. She also hosted ''

Boy & Kris ''Boy & Kris'' was a Philippine morning talk and lifestyle show of ABS-CBN premiered on July 2, 2007. The show is hosted by Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino aired on weekday mornings. On February 13, 2009, it aired its final episode and it was replaced b ...

'', a morning talk show that replaced ''Homeboy,'' together with

, ''Be Bench'', a model search show together with

Piolo Pascual Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer. Early life Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Malat ...

, another TV franchise, ''

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or '' Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-J ...

'', which replaced ''

Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal ''Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal'' is the Philippine franchise of ''Deal or No Deal'', presently hosted by Luis Manzano and previously by Kris Aquino, which premiered on June 5, 2006, on ABS-CBN. The smallest prize has always been ₱1, but the grand ...

'' and marks her return on '' The Buzz'' in 2014. In 2011, Aquino hosted '' Kris TV'' a lifestyle-magazine talk show which airs weekday mornings on

. The show ran from June 2011 to April 2016 prior to Aquino officially leaving her home network for 20 years. Also in 2011, she hosted the Filipino version of ''The Price is Right''.

Film

Aquino began her film career with Regal Films, one of the oldest film companies in the Philippines, appearing in '' Pido Dida: Sabay Tayo'' (1990), and its sequals with comedian Rene Requiestas. It earned her first box office queen award. She later shifted to dramatisations of true crime, including ''The Vizconde Massacre Story'', ''Myrna Diones Story'', ''Elsa Castillo-Ang Katotohanan'', and ''Humanda Ka Mayor''. She won her first supporting actress award in 2002 for '' Mano Po'', for her portrayal of a weak-willed and submissive scion of a wealthy Filipino-Chinese clan. In the 2004 film '' So... Happy Together'' she played opposite

Eric Quizon Enrico "Eric" Smith Quizon (born January 20, 1967) is a Filipino actor, director, producer, writer and comedian. He is the 12th child of the late comedian-actor, Dolphy. He is also a co-owner of Café Famous in Greenbelt, Makati. In late 2022, ...

. Other films include: '' Feng Shui'', a

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film studios in t ...

production that featured Chinese influences and omen. ''Feng Shui'', which was made during the wave of "Asian-style horror" flicks that spread throughout the continent after 2002's. '' The Ring'' made P137 million. It was the highest grossing Filipino movie of 2004, and the second most successful movie overall that year, next to ''

Spider-Man 2 ''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the ...

'', which earned more than P225 million. In 2006, '' Sukob'', another horror thriller, became the highest grossing Filipino film of all time surpassing ''

Ang Tanging Ina ''Ang Tanging Ina'' () is a 2002 Filipino comedy film, starring Ai-Ai delas Alas and Eugene Domingo. The movie was the highest grossing Filipino film until it was surpassed by ''Sukob'' in 2006. Each film was produced or co-produced by Star Cinem ...

'' and '' Anak''. She also starred alongside

Vice Ganda Jose Marie Borja Viceral (born March 31, 1976), popularly known as Vice Ganda (; ), is a Filipino comedian, talk show host, television presenter, actor, entrepreneur, and singer. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show '' It's ...

and

Ai-Ai Delas Alas Martina Eileen Hernandez delas Alas-Sibayan (born November 11, 1964), known professionally as Ai-Ai delas Alas, is a Filipino actress and comedian. She is widely regarded as the country's "Queen of Comedy" for her comedic talent and best know ...

in ''

Sisterakas ''Sisterakas'' is a 2012 Filipino comedy parody film produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films and selected as one of the eight official entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film was released nationwide in theaters on December 25, 20 ...

'', a

2012 Metro Manila Film Festival The 38th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is a part of the annual film festival in Metro Manila, Philippines held from December 25, 2012 until January 8, 2013. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order to sh ...

entry. In 2018, she played Princess Intan in ''Crazy Rich Asians''.

Illness

Aquino's health has detoriated by 2022. Aquino was diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria in 2018 after undergoing tests in Singapore out of concern that she might be suffering from

. In May 2022, Aquino disclosed that she has a life-threatening condition but dispelled rumors that she was "dying" and confined in an

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...

. She has also stated to have

autoimmune thyroiditis Autoimmune thyroiditis, is a chronic disease in which the body interprets the thyroid glands and its hormone products T3, T4 and TSH as threats, therefore producing special antibodies that target the thyroid's cells, thereby destroying it. It ma ...

and

vasculitis Vasculitis is a group of disorders that destroy blood vessels by inflammation. Both arteries and veins are affected. Lymphangitis (inflammation of lymphatic vessels) is sometimes considered a type of vasculitis. Vasculitis is primarily caused ...

. In June 2022, she disclosed her

eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), formerly known as allergic granulomatosis, is an extremely rare autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of small and medium-sized blood vessels (vasculitis) in persons with a history of ...

diagnosis, adding that she is going to reside in the United States to receive treatment for her condition.

Personal life

Aquino had a live-in relationship with actor

Phillip Salvador Phillip Mikael "Ipe" Reyes Salvador (born Felipe Reyes Salvador; August 22, 1953) is a three-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film and television actor. Acting career Salvador made his film debut in 1971 with ''Adios Mi Amor''. He toiled in ...

and had their first son in 1994. In 2003, her relationship with comedian

Joey Marquez Joselito Perez Marquez (born Artemio Perez Marquez Jr.; October 7, 1957) better known as Joey Marquez, is a Filipino actor, comedian, politician and former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born to ...

was highly publicized after their breakup in which Aquino exposed Marquez on contracting her with STD. Aquino was married to PBA professional player James Yap in a civil marriage ceremony on July 10, 2005, and announced the following year that she was pregnant, following a controversy in 2006 on Yap's infidelity. In April 2007, Aquino gave birth to her second son, James Carlos "Bimby" Aquino Yap, Jr., in Makati. In 2010, Aquino announced that she had separated from Yap, citing personal reasons, and stated she was seeking an annulment. It was in February 2012 that their marriage was declared '' null and void''. Aquino was amidst another public scandal in 2018 making death verbal threats via telephone to her former business manager, Nicko Falcis as their business relationship gradually ended. This was after her filing numerous cases against Falcis, majority of which got dismissed and are now under mediation. Currently, Aquino has no business partner nor business manager. In October 2021, Aquino announced her engagement to former politician Mel Senen Sarmiento. But in January 2022, Aquino said via Instagram that both she and Sarmiento agreed to call it off.

Business ventures

Aside from her TV and movie career, Aquino owns and manages several businesses. She co-owns Lena Restaurant and Sencillo, a Mexican restaurant, as well as Roberto Antonio, an upscale flower shop with business partner

. She founded a boutique and agency in partnership with Abunda and other personalities including Nonon del Carmen and Agnes Maranan. The boutique and agency was named MAD (an acronym for their surnames). She co-owns Sierra Madre Water. Aquino also owns numerous fast food store franchises such as Jollibee and Chowking and owns Nacho Bimby (aka Potato Corner) - a company that's under her youngest son's namesake. She is also executive editor of a bi-monthly magazine called ''K! The Kris Aquino Magazine''. In December 2009, Aquino showcased her home collection called ''K Everyday''. In partnership with ABS-CBN Licensing, ''K Everyday'' features cooking, kitchen-wares, plastic, and stationery collections.

Filmography

Production company

In 2013, Aquino established a film and television

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

, and film distributor called Kris Aquino Productions (or K Productions). It is managed by

, the country's largest motion picture company, which has produced most of the highest grossing Filipino films of all time. Its debut film was '' Instant Mommy'' starring

Eugene Domingo Eugena Roxas Domingo (born July 23, 1971), popularly known as Eugene Domingo, is a Filipino actress, comedienne and host. She has performed in lead and supporting roles in various genres of the Philippine film industry. She is popularly known a ...

.''Instant Mommy'' produced by Kris Aquino
abs-cbnnews.com; accessed July 3, 2015. She produced her son's debut movie, ''

My Little Bossings ''My Little Bossings'' (also known as ''Torky and My Little Bossings'') is a 2013 Filipino family- comedy film directed by Marlon Rivera, starring Vic Sotto, Kris Aquino, Ryzza Mae Dizon, and Bimby Yap. The film is an official entry for the 201 ...

'', in 2013.Kris Aquino produces new movie star
philstar.com; accessed July 3, 2015. Starting in 2010, she had already begun co-producing

films in which she starred, including ''

Dalaw ''Dalaw'' () is a 2010 Filipino suspense-horror film starring Kris Aquino and Diether Ocampo. The film was released by Star Cinema. It was an official entry at the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival. Plot Stella decides to marry Anton 3 years afte ...

'' (2010), ''

Segunda Mano ''Segunda Mano'' (English: ''Second Hand'') is a 2011 Filipino supernatural science fiction horror film directed by Joyce Bernal, and it stars Kris Aquino, Dingdong Dantes, and Angelica Panganiban. The film was produced and released by Star Cinema ...

'' (2011), and ''

'' (2012). In 2015, Aquino started producing vlogs on her own website, featuring specifically cooking and travel

vlogs A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

Theatrical feature films

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aquino, Kris 1971 births Living people

Kris Aquino Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (born February 14, 1971), professionally known as Kris Aquino (), is a Filipino television host, actress, producer, socialite and businesswoman. Dubbed as Philippine's "Queen of All Media", Aquino has hos ...

Ateneo de Manila University alumni Cojuangco family Filipino child actresses People from Quezon City Actresses from Metro Manila Filipino film actresses Filipino television talk show hosts Filipino game show hosts Filipino television actresses 20th-century Filipino actresses 21st-century Filipino actresses 21st-century Roman Catholics Children of presidents of the Philippines Deal or No Deal ABS-CBN personalities Radio Philippines Network personalities GMA Network personalities Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation personalities TV5 (Philippine TV network) personalities Viva Artists Agency Philippine Daily Inquirer people The Philippine Star people