He expressed that Regine, who was rumored to have cried privately after the show wherein he jokingly cracked that she and Ogie must have already engaged in sex, knew of that particular joke because, "I had mentioned it during a presscon prior to the said concert held at the Araneta Coliseum," he told the Manila Bulletin in an exclusive interview last Saturday at Rico’s Corik’s Bar in Makati.

The singer clarified, "Iniintriga lang ng ibang tao yung incident na ‘yon. As far as I know I was given the right to just be myself at si Regine mismo ay sumasakay sa green jokes namin ni Ai-Ai."

He elaborated, "I remember pinag-aayos ko si Regine and Ogie nung moment na ‘yun kasi part ‘yun ng script e. Daring ang suot ni Regine at tinanong ko kay Ogie na ‘ayaw mo ba ng malaki ang boobs?" Nagpapatawang sumagot si Regine na ‘Ewan ko diyan bakit ayaw sa malaki ang boobs!"

There had been a lot of instances where Regine would even crack punchlines back, Rico observed. "So everything was OK. Then it came to my mind na laging magkasama si Regine at Ogie. And I said ‘ang feeling ko sa dalawang ‘to may nangyari na kanila. Nag-sex na sila. It was a kind of joke na very me, very Rico J.; at si Regine mismo alam niya rin na magbibitaw ako ng ganung joke. Ang sa akin, palagay ko hindi talaga na-offend si Regine."

The said concert entitled "Forever After" was part of the "fanta–concierto" series scripted by renowned writer Ricky Lee and directed by Rowell Santiago. It revolved around a love involving Regine and Ogie. Rico, who played the "angel of love" in the show, reiterated that both the director and the scriptwriter allowed him to do the kind of jokes he is known for as a performing artist and to "come out of the script."

"Pinag-usapan namin na ‘no holds barred’ kami sa gabing iyon. Imagine 30 years na ako sa business at kilala na ako sa sexy jokes na binibitawan ko on stage. Kaya nga siguro nila ako kinuha sa show na ‘to e, because of that. So, everybody has to live with it and as much as possible I won’t compromise myself kasi baka ma-shortchange lang ang tao sa ini-expect nila sa akin. Kapag ganun, parang kinuha mo si David Copperfield tapos gusto mong pagsayawin kaysa mag-magic. Modesty aside, maraming tao ang umiidolo sa akin because I’m a person who speaks my mind. Whatever I think, whatever I feel. I speak it out."

Even Ogie Alcasid agreed that the reason why Rico J. was tapped for the concert is because of the kind of humor he does on stage aside from his solid singing performance. When asked about the "incident," Ogie told a group of media that Rico has already earned a name as an outspoken comedian with an equally superb vocal talent hanging in the balance and for these reasons, Regine who produced the show, knows this all too well.

Some critics even praised the effort to have Rico and Ai-Ai, who’s also known for her street-smart, green–shaded comedy, in a Regine and Ogie show. The show’s dates, incidentally, have been extended which will include performances abroad. Rico, actually, is off the country this summer for a series of shows in the US with his contemporaries like Hajji Alejandro, Marco Sison, and Nonoy Zuñiga.

The singer-politician further revealed to the Bulletin that the moment he learned of the rumor, he asked that he be dropped from the show in case he is putting anyone in bad light. If not, he said he’ll "just rather stick to the script." The show’s director, however, replied by saying that he shouldn’t get rid of his jokes. Besides, "the audience looks for such."

When asked if he and Regine are all right, he confirmed, "Yes, OK kami. Magsasama pa nga kami for the next shows e."

"Hindi mahirap kausapin si Regine, as a talent magaling talaga siya and she’s really a crowd drawer. Si Ogie naman ibang-iba at ang galing ng appeal sa stage, parang Rico J.," he ends, with a laugh.