Carlos Yulo’s historic moment in the 2024 Paris Olympics as the first Filipino to win multiple golds was overshadowed by the gripping public feud between him and his mother that has become gossip fodder.
Yulo addressed the controversy in a TikTok video after winning the floor exercise and vault final for the Philippines’ first gold medals in Paris. The Filipino gymnast said that his mother, Angelica Poquiz Yulo, withdrew and used his past prize money without his consent.
Yulo’s mother had been handling his finances, including his prize money, incentives and allowances from the government and private sponsors since he was a teenage prodigy until he discovered the unauthorized withdrawals, he said. He revealed that sometime in December of 2022, he found out that his mother had already received his cash incentives for winning two medals (silver in the vault final and bronze in the parallel bars) in the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships but did not disclose it to him.
Since then, Yulo has taken over his bank accounts, he said.
“The issue here is not about how little or big the amount she withdrew, but the fact that she did it and used it without my consent,” Yulo said in Filipino.
Before his historic double gold medal run in Paris, Yulo had won 37 medals, including 21 golds, in the world championships, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games.
According to various reports from the Philippines, Yulo’s incentives could reach over $1.5 million value in cash, endorsement deals, restaurant meal vouchers, a fully furnished 3-bedroom condo, and two houses and lots for winning the country’s two Olympic golds.
Carlos Yulo made HISTORY becoming the first male athlete to EVER win gold at the Olympics for the Philippines! 🇵🇭🥇
He also earned the country’s first Olympic medal in gymnastics. #ParisOlympics
Carlos Yulo’s Mom Denies Allegations
In a TV interview, Yulo’s mother denied her son’s allegations. She said the star gymnast’s nearly $200,000 earnings from past competitions is safe in a bank account under his name.
However, Yulo’s mother admitted to withdrawing some of Yulo’s recent earnings from a separate bank account that she has access to, as a cash bond for a credit card and to fully pay for a house and lot she and her husband bought in 2016 when her son was still a minor and not yet a star.
She added that some of her son’s money was used to renovate the house so Yulo has a comfortable home whenever he flies back to the Philippines.
She also said she invested some of Yulo’s money in a motorcycle shop. In the same interview, she vowed to return the money used as a cash bond for the credit card and even offered to sell the house and lot.
The mother-and-son rift became public when Angelica Yulo made a controversial Facebook post that went viral.
She reposted a local news report of Japan winning gold in the all-around final while her son, Carlos, finished 12th. Her caption read in Filipino: “Japan still the strongest.”
Angelica Yulo Says There’s Tension Between Her & Her Son’s Girlfriend
In a separate radio interview, Yulo’s mother pointed to his son’s girlfriend, Chloe Anjeleigh San Jose, as the root cause of their family feud.
San Jose is a Filipina social media influencer based in Australia. She has more than 860,000 followers on TikTok, 111,000 followers on Instagram and 465,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Yulo’s mother said in the interview that she felt San Jose was trying to take Yulo away from his family. She said she also does not like the way San Jose dresses, adding that became an issue when Yulo’s younger sibling and another aspiring gymnast, who were still minors, went to Japan to train and lived with them in a tiny studio apartment.
At the end of Carlos Yulo’s TikTok video, the Filipino gymnast said he already forgave his mother but can’t forget the painful words he received from her. He also hopes for her to heal and move on, he said.
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Olympic Double Gold Gymnast Accuses Mom of Stealing Prize Money in TikTok Video