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Boy Abunda (left) and Marina Summers. Photos from Fast Talk with Boy Abunda/YouTube and Marina Summers/Facebook
Drag star Marina Summers has found a supporter in the country's "King of Talk" Boy Abunda, who praised her hosting skills in the recent Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) pageant.
During his show "Fast Talk" where he interviewed newly crowned MUPH Bea Millan-Windorski, Abunda took the opportunity to commend Summers amid the mixed reactions she has received from audiences.
"I found Marina Summers good, actually very good. One to 10, I'd give her an 8.5, 1.5 short of being perfect," he said.
And while others called out Summers for her "lack of energy" as a host, Abunda believes that she delivered what was appropriate for the event.
"Her energy was just right, higher than Olivia Culpo the first time Olivia hosted Miss Universe," he said in jest, referring to the former Miss Universe's viral "energy gap" hosting stint years ago.
"Tama ang energy niya. She didn't scream, she didn't host it like a boxing match, she didn't host it like a mixed martial arts championship, she didn't host it like a game show. She did it the way she wanted to do it," he noted.
Millan-Windorski, for her part, said Summers was "professional" and "really stuck to the script of what Miss Universe Philippines expected of her."
"I really wanted to take a moment to commend that this was such as history-defining moment. Because Miss Universe Philippines is not only a pageant, it's [also] a cultural institution here in the Philippines," she said.
"And the fact that a trans woman was able to host with such beauty and grace is a celebration for all our trans brothers and sisters, especially for me as a proud younger sister of a trans older brother."
In a recent Facebook post, Summers said hosting MUPH 2026 "has been one of the greatest milestones of my career and my life."
And while she acknowledged the negative comments about the way she hosted the pageant, the drag queen cried foul over the "vile and alarming amount of transphobia" she has received online.
"This needs to stop," she stressed.