If there’s one phenomenon that took the whole Philippine entertainment industry by storm, it’s definitely the Eat Bulaga love team AlDub, which catapulted Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza to national stardom. It has been over *seven years* since the two debuted on TV, but they’re still one of the most widely talked-about tandems online.

ICYMI, Alden and Maine recently made headlines when the actress called out “delusional” AlDub fans who claim that she and her former love team partner are already married with kids. This comes after a video of an “AlDub cult” went viral online where die-hard supporters are seen lighting up candles for their idols.

Since the issue broke out, Alden has been receiving criticism online for ~not speaking up~.

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In a recent interview, however, the actor revealed the real reason why AlDub decided to go their separate ways despite its massive success, clarifying that it wasn’t their intention to ~fool~ themselves or their viewers in any way.

“Everything that people saw about AlDub was organic… That’s what we wanted to show. We didn’t have a script for that whole ‘Kalyeserye’ thing, so Maine and I just played along with it,” he says.

“But none of what Maine and I said was orchestrated or planned ahead […] Everything was based on impulse or improvisation, which probably explains why the story that developed felt so organic. Pero walang halong pretensiyon ‘yun. Hindi namin niloko ang mga sarili namin. So, when we saw each other for the first time, it really was our first time to meet in person, kaya nga it was called ‘Tamang Panahon.’”

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Despite the love team being a national phenomenon that garnered millions of fans all over the country, Alden and Maine decided that it was best to pursue different plans. “Eventually, what Maine and I both wanted became clear to us. I had my own plans, and Maine had plans of her own. Minsan, hindi mo pwedeng i-align ang plano mo sa plano ng iba kasi iba-iba kayo ng direction,” he shares.

“Wag ipilit or baka you’ll end up fighting or having a misunderstanding. So, we opted to go our separate ways as friends.”