As a versatile actress, Laurel has often played "controversial" characters that elicited strong real-world reactions:
: Celebrities like Vice Ganda helped clear her name on It’s Showtime , and public understanding grew as the actual Deniece Cornejo began making television appearances. On-Screen Antagonism and Fan Backlash
: Her portrayal of a mistress led to intense bashing from viewers who struggled to separate her character from her real identity.
: During the highly publicized legal battle between Vhong Navarro and model Deniece Cornejo, netizens confused the actress Denise Laurel with the model due to their similar-sounding first names.