Do we like Nadine Lustre?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Years of visible support for queer Filipinos and the environment, with one criticised casino endorsement and a messy contract fight on the other side.
Nadine Lustre is one of the Philippines' best-known actresses and singers, and her career has been a fight for control as much as a climb. In January 2020 she announced she had left Viva Artists Agency, the company that managed her. In December that year Viva sued her in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. It alleged she was dealing with advertisers and other third parties independently, and it said her exclusive contract ran to 2029.
Her lawyer welcomed the lawsuit and argued that Viva was the party in breach. She said Lustre was entitled to terminate an agent that wasn't meeting its commitments. Later coverage reported that the two sides settled, and that she kept control of her own image. It reads as a young star pushing back on a contract she called unfair, which is more stoush than scandal.
On the harm test she comes out well. In June 2021 she held a virtual benefit concert for the Home for the Golden Gays, a nonprofit supporting elderly LGBTQIA+ people, and said she was proud to help amplify the voices of the queer community. Nothing turned up of her demeaning women, migrants or anyone else. Her recent work has been mainstream Filipino film and streaming, with no sign of her working with people who push harm.
The planet is where she puts her money and time. She has worked with the Masungi Georeserve, where she holds an honorary park ranger role. She has also taken part in a tree-planting project with the Yangil Tribe and volunteered with the SEA Movement in Siargao. Tatler's 2023 profile covers it in detail, and this is long-running work rather than a one-off photo op.
The latest news is her May 2026 Instagram post. She criticised visitors to Siargao who treat locals as beneath them, people who deliberately harm animals, and the cutting of trees in the name of development. She also took aim at government officials, whom she accused of corruption and incompetence. She closed by asking for more awareness, love and compassion. Her fans love that kind of straight talk, and some critics have called her calling-out performative.
There is a political and personal-risk side too. Her partner, Christophe Bariou, said in an October 2025 Instagram statement that the couple were offered a P50 million payment to settle a bridge dispute and back local candidates. His statement also alleged harassment of his businesses, and he said he had made official complaints. Lustre's reported reply was “We don't make deals with corruption... ever.” These are his claims as reported, and no one named in them was quoted in the piece.