By Ma. Angelica Demegillo
Known for his unfiltered sense of humor, social media influencer Bretman Rock takes the world by storm with his newly-released memoir You’re That B*tch, where he opened up about his personal life, his journey to stardom and how he conquered social media while being himself, unapologetically.
Looking fierce and fabulous in Manila to promote his new book, Bretman Rock said that being fun, quirky and effortlessly funny are traits he attribute to his Filipino roots. “Aside from my beautiful moreno skin, I love the personality that I have as a Filipino. I think I’m always laughing, I’m always singing — not that everybody sings —but I definitely sing everywhere,” he said.
In an exclusive invite-only conference with members of the media, the online sensation sat down with members of the media to promote his first-ever memoir, You’re That B*tch, and shared stories ranging from his experiences and memories in the Philippines, his favorite Filipino dishes, to his plans and possible works in the future.
You’re That B*tch promises to be an honest and inspiring memoir filled with Bretman’s stories, which also touch on his childhood, his family, his experience moving overseas and his love for Hawaii, where he currently lives. It also includes stories about his high school crushes as well as his journey to being a global social media sensation.
Bretman bared
“So you probably know Bretman Rock the comedian and extrovert who pole dances and calls everybody ‘b*tch,’ but you don’t really know Bretman Sacayanan. These Bretmans are two different people, but they are both 1,000 percent me. And we’ve both lived lifetimes already,” an excerpt from the introduction of his book, read.
Born Bretman Sacayanan, Bretman Rock was born in Cagayan province, before moving to Hawaii at seven years old. People who are hearing about him for the first time need to know that his father, who’s a huge wrestling fan, named him after wrestling stars, Bret Hart and The Rock.
His journey to being an online sensation began when he started creating funny and attention-catching videos on Vine and YouTube. Recently, he continues to amass love from fans, especially Filipinos, for his constant love for the Filipino culture as he shared about his life in the Philippines and flaunted his skills in speaking Tagalog and Ilokano.
In 2017, he was hailed as one of TIME Magazine’s ‘30 Most Influential Teens’ and was also included in Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30 Asia – Media, Marketing, & Advertising’ in 2018. In October 2021, he made history as the first gay man to appear on the digital cover of Playboy magazine. He has also starred in his own reality show, MTV Following: Bretman Rock and was part of the YouTube Originals 30 Days With: Bretman Rock. As of writing, he now has 8.86 million subscribers on YouTube, 15 million followers on TikTok and 18.5 million followers on Instagram.
Bretman also gave a shout-out to members of LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines who never failed to support him and his content. “Continue being queer, continue being gay. I believe all Filipino gays are meant to be a star!” he said.
He also revealed that he wants to try hosting the famous American late-night comedy variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL). He also shared that he wants to dabble in show writing, which he thinks he would do good at. He added that he’s also having acting classes in Hawaii and he loves doing improv acting.
When the host, Mond Gutierrez, suggested that Bretman should do a sitcom loosely based on his life. Asked whom he would cast to play the role of Bretman, being the star that he is, he responded that he would cast himself to play him, because “who could play me?” before adding “…Maybe Ms. Dolly De Leon?”
Bretman Rock is set to hold a book signing event today, March 4 (Saturday), 4 p.m at SM Megamall’s ground level Mega Fashion Hall, and on March 5 (Sunday), 4 p.m at SM Mall of Asia’s Music Hall.
‘You’re That Bitch’ is available in select National Book Store branches, online on www.nationalbookstore.com, and on their official stores on Lazada and Shopee. To learn more about the Bretman Rocks Manila book signing events, please visit bit.ly/nbsbrmep
