Background and career
Marvic Valentin "Vic" Castelo Sotto (born April 28, 1954), popularly known as Bossing, is a Filipino actor, comedian, television presenter, and producer. Active in Philippine film and television since the 1970s, he is known for his comedic roles in sitcoms and films. He is also one of the original hosts of Eat Bulaga!, alongside his elder brother Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon. Sotto began his career in the 1970s as a member of the disco band VST & Company, contributing to hit songs such as "Ikaw ang Aking Mahal", "Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko", "Magsayawan", and “Rock Baby Rock". He later formed the trio TVJ with his brother Tito and Joey de Leon; the group starred in the long-running sitcom Iskul Bukol (1978–1988). Since 1979, Sotto has hosted the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! He is also a co-founder of TVJ Productions, which continued producing Eat Bulaga! after departing from the original production company, TAPE Inc.. Sotto has appeared in several sitcoms, including Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (1987–1997), Daddy Di Do Du (2001–2007), Ful Haus (2007–2009), Vampire ang Daddy Ko (2013–2016), Hay, Bahay! (2016–2017), Daddy's Gurl (2018–2023), and Open 24/7 (2023–2024). In film, he portrayed the title role in the Enteng Kabisote series (1991–2016). His other notable films include Lastikman (2003), Ang Darling Kong Aswang (2009), My Little Bossings (2013), Jack Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles (2018), and Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity (2019). He has also hosted television programs such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2009–2015), and Bossing & Ai (2017–2018).
Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto was born on April 28, 1954, to Marcelino Antonio "Nonong" Ojeda Sotto and Herminia Castelo Sotto. He has three brothers: Val Sotto (b. 1945), Tito Sotto (b. 1948), and Marcelino Antonio Sotto Jr. (b. 1951). He finished his secondary education at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Sotto lived for many years in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. In 2017, he was honored as Ang Natatanging Anak ng Kabanatuan (ANAK) by the city government during the annual Banatu Festival, in recognition of his contributions to the Philippine entertainment industry. The award held special significance for Sotto, who stated in his speech that he spent half of his life in Cabanatuan.
Before gaining recognition in the 1970s, Sotto began as a singer and guitarist at Vicor Music Corporation, where his brother Tito Sotto also worked. His debut solo album with the label was successful. He later formed VST & Company with his brothers Tito and Val, which produced dance hits such as "Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko" and "Rock, Baby, Rock" (1978). He later joined the gag show OK Lang on IBC 13, where he formed a trio with his brother Tito and comedian Joey de Leon, known as TVJ. The group subsequently rose to prominence on the GMA Network variety shows Discorama (1975–1977) and Student Canteen (1975–1986) and gained their largest television following through the hit sitcom Iskul Bukol (1978–1988). This success led to their selection as hosts of Eat Bulaga! (1979–present), the longest-running noontime variety show on Philippine television.
Sotto is a product endorser. In 2024, he was the first and only official brand ambassador of PlayTime PH, a licensed online gambling corporation. Sotto also produced films and television programs under his production company, M-Zet Productions. These include Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (1987–1997), 1 for 3 (1997–2001), Daddy Di Do Du (2001–2007), Ful Haus (2007–2009), Vampire ang Daddy Ko (2013–2016), Hay, Bahay! (2016–2017), Daddy’s Gurl (2018–2023), and Open 24/7 (2023–2024).
Sotto married Dina Bonnevie in 1982, and they had two children: Danica (born 1983) and Oyo (born 1984). The couple separated in 1986, and their marriage was annulled in 1992. Actress Coney Reyes joined Eat Bulaga! in 1982–1991 as a replacement for Chiqui Hollmann. During her tenure, she had a relationship with Sotto, and they had a son, politician Vico Sotto (b. 1989). Angela Luz was a former leading lady of Sotto in the television series Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!; they began a relationship after his separation from Coney Reyes. Luz later gave birth to Vic Sotto's fourth child, Paulina. Sotto had a relationship with fellow Eat Bulaga! co-host Pia Guanio in the 2000s. He later married actress Pauleen Luna, also an Eat Bulaga! co-host. They have a 34-year age gap. The couple wed on January 30, 2016, at Saint James the Great Parish Church in Ayala, Alabang, and have two daughters.
In 1982, the 15-year-old actress Pepsi Paloma accused Sotto and fellow comedians Joey de Leon and Richie D'Horsie of gang raping and taking photos of her on June 21 in a room at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City. On July 31, Paloma's manager Rey Dela Cruz lodged a formal complaint with Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. On August 18, Paloma filed charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness against the three television personalities before the Quezon City fiscal's office. The crime of rape at the time, carried the death penalty in the Philippines, and to prevent his brother from being sent to the electric chair, Tito Sotto quickly went to see Paloma while she was still securing the services of attorney Rene Cayetano. According to Paloma, Tito Sotto pressured her into signing an "Affidavit of Desistance" to drop the rape charges against his brother and cohorts—Tito Sotto had allegedly placed a pistol on the table in front of Paloma when he went to talk to her. In exchange for the dismissal of the charges of rape, Vic Sotto, de Leon and D'Horsie issued a public apology to Paloma:
