“#BrosForLife”

This was what FPJ’s Ang Probinyano star John Prats wrote in the caption of one of his Instagram posts that featured him and one of his bestfriends Sam Milby.

While it is deemed difficult to find genuine and lasting relationships in the complicated world of show business, they are solid proof that it is still possible since they’ve been friends for more than a decade already.

During their appearance in an episode of their talent agency’s online show in 2020, they revealed that their friendship began in 2009, at the time when both of them were brokenhearted. Both of them may be mainstays of ASAP then, but they didn’t hit off immediately since Sam confessed that he was actually threatened by the closeness of John with a Kapamilya actress he was wooing that time.

But their heartbreaks that year brought them closer as they were each other’s shoulder to cry on. Since then, they have seen one another in happiest and saddest moments, such as breakups with their ex-girlfriends, the relationship milestones of John and wife Isabel Oli, and Sam’s blooming romance with beauty queen Catriona Gray.

In their Magandang Buhay guesting in 2018, they imparted that there used to be instances when John would sleep at Sam’s place for days during his day-offs and would even take home some of his shirts without Sam’s knowledge.

“Kapag may girlfriend ako, medyo nawawala ako. Pero alam mo ‘yong babalik ka pa rin sa core mo. Kasi I have lots of friends, pero I only have two closest friends talaga na alam kong kapag may problema ako, nandiyan – si Sam at si Angelica [Panganiban],” John said when asked why he considers them the best of friends. “Ako rin ganyan sa kanila, kasi alam naming hindi lang kami puro saya. Kapag may pinagdadaanan ang isa sa amin, nandoon kami.”

Aside from being one his accomplices in his grand wedding proposal to Isabel in 2014, Sam then went on to be one of John’s best men in their wedding the following year. They eventually became business partners as they established production company Bright Bulb Productions alongside their other close friend Angelica Panganiban in 2017.

Since he didn’t have any relative in the country when he arrived here, the Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin star was grateful to have found a brother in John and an instant family to the actor-director’s family. At the same time, John has also become close to Sam’s family.

 

 

Their friendship may have started in one of the gloomy periods of their lives, but the two handsome heartthrobs went on to share a lot of happy and beautiful memories together. In their Magandang Buhay interview in the first week of 2023, Sam revealed that it was actually him who influenced John to have motorcycle riding as a hobby, to which the latter was initially hesitant about because he was too scared. 

Sam was able to eventually convince him, but it was John’s wife Isabel Oli who was against it, despite his offer that he would be the one to buy him his first motorbike. They later on discovered that the reason behind the actress’ objection was because she actually bought a scooter for him as a surprise.

Now that Sam is in a blissful relationship with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, John told the momshie-hosts in that same interview that he actually didn’t offer him any love advice as he just also found out about it on the news.

But jokes aside, John imparted that he never meddled with the affairs of Sam’s heart, but he wishes him nothing but happiness and to be able to finally settle down and have kids, as well, just like him.

Check out more of John and Sam’s strong and happy brotherhood in these photos!