Nigerian actor and singer Ray Emodi has apologised to his fans after making the surprise decision to quit acting earlier this year. He also revealed that he is returning to acting.
In a heartfelt video shared on his YouTube channel, Emodi admitted that he hurt many of his supporters when he announced in February 2026 that he was stepping away from Nollywood to focus entirely on his music career. In his words:
“I would like to apologise to all my supporters. I’m sorry.”
The actor added that he understood why many fans felt disappointed after building a loyal following through his movies before suddenly walking away from acting. He said:
“I know that I amassed a certain following and a certain support base from being an actor. And then one day I told you guys that I’m not acting again. I’m doing music only. It’s almost like I swindled you guys.”
Emodi ended his apology with another heartfelt message to his supporters.
“I am sorry for playing with your emotions and I promise I won’t do it again. I love you guys so much.”
Explaining why he left acting in the first place, the movie star said the decision was not because he had fallen out of love with the profession, but because he had become physically and mentally exhausted after years of nonstop work.
According to him, he appeared in nearly 300 productions between 2017 and the end of 2025 without taking a single vacation. He said:
“I stopped acting because I was tired. I acted since 2017 till last year… around 300 productions… eight years, no vacations. If you do something too much, you just get tired.”
Ray Emodi said acting remains a craft he deeply respects, revealing that he earned a master’s degree in acting for film.
“I act with passion. I don’t do it for other reasons. I do it for the craft of acting because I have high respect for the craft.”
The actor admitted that he simply took on more work than he could handle. Now returning to Nollywood, Emodi said he has learnt from the experience and plans to approach his career differently.
“I’m not going to overdo it. I’m just going to do it enough to the point that I’m satisfied creatively and I’m not exhausted physically.”
He also accepted responsibility for reaching the point where he felt he had to walk away. He added:
“I have only myself to blame for letting it get to that point that I actually had to say that I retired from acting. I didn’t handle the load properly.”
Despite his return to acting, Emodi made it clear that his purpose goes beyond fame or financial success. In his words:
“The general theme behind my career is to leave a positive impact on people that encounter my art. It’s not to make money. Obviously, I want to make money, but the general theme is to leave a positive impact on people.”
He concluded by thanking fans for standing by him despite his temporary exit from the movie industry.
Ray Emodi’s apology marks another twist in a career decision that has made headlines throughout 2026.
In late February, he announced that he was quitting acting to focus fully on music, describing it as his true calling. During a television interview in March, however, he clarified that he had not retired permanently but was only stopping acting to concentrate on his music career.
At the time, he also spoke about his decade-long battle with anxiety, revealing that doctors advised him to avoid overworking and high-stress environments. He further cited frightening experiences on movie sets, including filming near areas where gunshots were heard, as part of the reasons behind his decision.
