Gymnast Carlos Yulo took a firm stand in support of his girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose, amid a growing rift with his mother Angelica Poquiz Yulo.

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo (R) and his girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose. Photo from Yulo’s Instagram

Forbes reported that Carlos defended San Jose against Angelica’s criticisms in a TikTok video released on Tuesday.

“She [Angelica] judges Chloe by the way she acts and dresses,” he said in Filipino, as quoted by The Manila Times. “First of all, Chloe was in Australia and grew up in that culture. And it’s very different from how people dress or talk in the Philippines.”

He also refuted Angelica’s suspicions of Chloe financially exploiting him, asserting: “Chloe has her own income.”

“Everything you see her using and all her travels come from her hard work,” he added. “There have been instances where Chloe had to support me financially.”

Carlos’ video followed an interview in which Angelica accused San Jose of exploiting her son, alleging that the content creator exacerbated the tension between her and Carlos.

In the video, Carlos also claimed that Angelica did not disclose the exact amount of his monetary rewards from a competition and withdrew money from his bank account, over which she had control, without his consent.

At 24, Carlos is recognized as the most decorated Filipino gymnast to date, having become the second Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal and the first to secure multiple golds in men’s floor and vault at this year’s Paris Olympics.

He is slated to receive various accolades from the Philippine government, including a three-bedroom condo valued at 32 million pesos (US$558,000) in Manila’s McKinley Hill, as noted by Fortune magazine.