Darren Espanto is crying foul over the bashing Jed Madela has been receiving over their friendship, revealing that the veteran singer has started to distance himself from him because of it.

"Dumistansya na po kasi naba-bash na po siya," he told "Tonight with Boy Abunda" on Thursday. "Pero I texted him and told him, 'Huwag na lang pansinin ang mga sinasabi ng mga ibang tao.' "

The bashing once again found headwind in April when Madela was spotted at Espanto's graduation ceremony, prompting some fans to accuse the ex-"Your Face Sounds Familiar" judge of using the pop star to boost his popularity.

Espanto downplayed these claims, explaining: "What the bashers didn't know is that he was there to support a relative of his, which was also a student at [my school]."

A post shared by Jed Madela (@jedmadelaofficial) on Apr 22, 2017 at 12:29am PDT

This isn't the first time Madela has found himself in hot water over his closeness with Espanto. Last year, he lashed at those maliciously linking him with the young singer.

“It’s very malicious na, iyong mga nagsasabi ng ganoon wala nang magandang masabi sa buhay,” he said. "OK, i-link ninyo ako sa ibang tao, huwag lang sa bata. Huwag ninyong i-involve yung bata kasi he’s a minor, he’s a kid, very traumatizing sa tao."

Madela is a known fan of Espanto, whom he considers to be a little brother. Espanto himself has made it known that he sees nothing wrong with their friendship.