Anthony Jennings fuels cheating rumors after ex shares alleged chats between him, Maris Racal
Anthony Jennings fueled cheating speculations after his ex-girlfriend exposed the actor’s supposed conversations with Maris Racal while they were still together.
His former partner Jam Villanueva took to her Instagram stories late Tuesday, Dec. 3 to share her side of her breakup with Anthony, with whom she was in a relationship for nearly seven years.
"I've been trying to hold myself together through everything that's been happening. But after hearing all the things being said about me—about my character, my intentions, and even my family, I can’t stay silent any longer,” she began in her post.
“There's only so much silence a person can bear when rumors twist the truth. I'm sharing this because I need to set the record straight—not to create more drama, but because I deserve to be heard, just like anyone else,” she continued, lamenting how others were attacking her when she only wanted to protect not just her personal life, but also her ex “out of respect.”
"When Maris came into the picture, I was genuinely happy for you both. I even chose to be supportive, despite the red flags I couldn't ignore. I respected your craft. I believed in you both. But betrayal like this cuts deep,” she added.
Alleged conversations between Maris and Anthony
Jam posted screenshots of Anthony’s alleged affectionate chats with Maris, which, she said, started during their brand launch in June. Their supposed conversations implied that the love team had an intimate affair off-screen as they had text exchanges like "Come, be my pillow," "I love you," and "Kiss na lang kita mamaya."
At one point, Maris also supposedly texted him, "That was so hot."
"Context: 'yung 'that was hot' nag-party sila niyan... I confronted Anthony about it and he told me na hinila daw siya sa CR ng girls and they started making out. I asked him why did he let her, he just said, 'Ayoko lang maramdaman niya na parang ayaw ko siya kasi may trabaho kami bukas.'" Jam said, recalling Anthony’s explanation to her.
Jam also shared snaps of Maris and Anthony’s FaceTime call logs that lasted for an hour. Despite this, she said she just let it be as Anthony assured her it was something he needed to do "for work."
“He explained that he needed to make her feel loved and appreciated because she was going through something as well. He believed that showing her care was the only way to make their work go smoothly and for his partner to function well,” Jam wrote.
In another Instagram story, Jam posted photos of Maris and Anthony seemingly sharing kisses on the plane. Their faces were covered, but Anthony’s clothes matched what Maris posted in her Instagram story during her birthday in September.
"These were the photos that shattered my heart into pieces. This is the other side of the story—the photos that she posted in her story, where people started attacking me, saying that the photo was just ‘fan service’ and that I was overreacting. I even asked Anthony about it, and he brushed it off, saying it was nothing,” Jam said.
It’s unknown whether the images were edited or tampered in a way.
Jam thanks Anthony for their years-long relationship
In the latter part of her IG story series, Jam thanked Anthony, whom she fondly calls by his second name “Michael,” for the nearly seven years they shared together.
“Happiness was all I ever wanted for you, in our years of living together. I never imagined I have to let you go, but I did—so you could grow and find happiness on your own,” she wrote.
She also advised women "not to be like me."
"It took me three long months to finally accept that I was just ignoring the reality of the situation. The sleepless nights, crying and anxiety attacks and sabotaging yourself—for those three months, I blamed myself for everything I thought, felt, and saw during that time,” she opened up.
"I allowed this to happen because I thought it was the best way to support them both. Most importantly, I trust my partner and her—as a woman,” she concluded.
This came a few days after Anthony confirmed his split with his longtime girlfriend on Nov. 30.
"Hiwalay na kami. Months ago na nung naghiwalay kami ni Jam," he shared, adding that it was due to "personal reasons" and that he wanted to keep it private especially since his ex is not part of the entertainment industry.
At the time, Anthony said he and Maris are "just friends."
“Request ko lang din sa lahat syempre na ginugulo 'yung ibang tao, si Jam naman, hindi naman siya artista, pribado 'yung buhay niya, and sa akin naman, ako 'yung may pagkukulang dun, problema ko 'yun, dapat kong ayusin 'yun magisa," he said, "'yun nga, sa lahat ng mga nanggugulo rin sa dalawa—kay Maris din, nadadamay si Maris—magkaibigan lang po kami. Sana matigil na yung mga ganun."
Maris was previously in a relationship with musician Rico Blanco. They called it quits after a five-year relationship, though she noted in a press conference that Anthony was not the reason for their split.
"Anthony is out of the picture. It's just me and Rico. Mainly me, I'm the issue," she said at the time.
Anthony and Maris became on-screen partners in the 2023 romance series Can't Buy Me Love, where they played Snoop and Irene, respectively. They are set to star in the upcoming series, Incognito, and Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, And The Bread Winner Is... starring Vice Ganda.