A complaint about respect quickly turned into a public clash between Desola Afod and some of the biggest names in the Yoruba movie industry.
Desola Afod who is the estranged wife of actor Kunle Afod, called out actors and actresses whom she accused of taking her for granted and addressing her by her first name despite her age.
What followed was a wave of reactions from her colleagues, with actresses Bimbo Success and Wumi Toriola among those who responded strongly to her remarks.
Here is how the controversy unfolded.
What Sparked The Controversy?
The controversy began on Sunday, October 11, when Desola shared a video addressing what she described as disrespect from some actors and actresses in the movie industry. In the video, she complained about people seeing her and calling her simply by her name instead of addressing her with the respect she expected.
Desola, who said she was 44, warned that she had reached a point where she would no longer overlook such behaviour. She said:
“This is the last warning to some of all these actresses and actors in the movie industry who will see me and just call me by my name.
These people have taken me for granted in their industry. I am 44 years old now. I know age is just a number.”
Her remarks were not limited to particular individuals. Her reference to “Awon Omo Tiatia”, a Yoruba expression referring to theatre practitioners became a major part of the controversy. It was this broader reference to people in the industry, without mentioning a particular name, that drew the strongest reactions.
Bimbo Success Fires Back
Bimbo Success was among the first actresses to publicly respond to Desola. In her reaction, Bimbo told Desola to stop talking and suggested that the industry had previously exercised restraint out of respect for Kunle Afod. She also appeared to believe that Desola’s comments were directed at her.
Bimbo questioned whether Desola knew her actual age and warned her against making her a target. Her response became particularly sharp when she suggested that the industry had shown Desola consideration because of her relationship with Kunle.
Bimbo’s warning was clear: she would not remain silent if Desola came for her. The exchange shifted the issue from a general complaint about respect to a direct clash between individual women.
Wumi Toriola Challenges Desola’s Comments
Wumi Toriola responded later on October 11, taking a different but equally strong approach. Rather than focusing only on Desola’s complaint about being addressed by her first name, Wumi challenged the decision to refer broadly to people in the theatre industry.
She argued that if Desola had a problem with specific individuals, she should identify them instead of making a statement that could be interpreted as an attack on the entire profession. Wumi Toriola said:
“You saying those theatre people, I find it disrespectful and insulting. If you have any issue with anybody, Desola Afod, kindly mention their names.”
For Wumi, the issue was personal as well as professional. She said the Yoruba movie industry was the body through which she had built her career and earned a living, and she would not accept what she considered disrespect towards it. She continued:
“If you have issues with anybody, kindly put their names, pictures or mention them in your videos. Saying ‘Awon Onitiata’ is a body that covers what I have worked for and earn from. I will not allow you to disrespect it.”
Wumi Toriola also brought up a previous disagreement involving one of her colleagues. According to her, Desola had intervened in that matter, but she chose not to respond at the time because she did not want to disrespect Kunle Afod, who was then Desola’s husband. Her response then became more personal.
Wumi advised Desola to drop the Afod surname and use her father’s name if she believed the name was contributing to the disrespect she complained about. She continued:
“The other time I had an issue with a colleague, you put your mouth but I kept quiet because I didn’t want to disrespect your ex-husband. If you feel the ‘Afod’ name you bear is giving you problem, you can bear your father’s name. You are not the only razz person. We were both born in Agege, everyone is just packaging themselves.”
She also urged Desola to learn how to manage her fame and public image.
Other Actors Join The Conversation
The disagreement did not end with Bimbo Success and Wumi Toriola. Other Yoruba movie practitioners also reacted to the controversy, with some showing support for Wumi’s position.
Among those who reacted in Wumi Toriola’s comments section were Lola Alao, Nkechi Blessing, Akeem Adeyemi, Yetunde Bakare, among others.
The growing reactions changed the scale of the dispute. What started as Desola’s complaint about how some colleagues addressed her had become a wider conversation about respect, personal grievances and whether individual disagreements should be extended to an entire industry.
Desola Apologises And Retracts Statement
Later on October 11, Desola changed her approach. She publicly thanked veteran actor Afeez Owo for reaching out to her and apologised for disappointing him with her earlier comments. More importantly, she withdrew her general statement about the Yoruba movie industry. Desola wrote:
“Whatever statement I made generally concerning ‘Awon Omo Tiatia’, I hereby retract and take it back. I didn’t mean to generalise or refer to everyone in the industry.”
Desola’s apology, however, did not mean she withdrew every complaint she had made. She maintained that the people who had personally wronged her knew themselves. She wrote:
“The few people who did me dirty know themselves.”
She then declared that she had moved on, ending the statement with “Otilo! We move” and an apology. Desola also made it clear that, despite the controversy, she did not intend to distance herself from the identity she had built around the Afod name. She added:
“One thing remains unchanged: My name is still Desola Afod, celeb wife, till the end of time.”
She shared screenshots of her communication with Afeez Owo, who she credited with helping to bring the matter to a calmer point.
From A Call For Respect To An Apology
Desola Afod’s controversy with her husband’s Yoruba movie colleagues unfolded within a matter of hours. Her original complaint was about how she wanted to be addressed and the respect she believed her age deserved.
But her broader reference to theatre practitioners turned the matter into something much bigger. In the end, the episode moved from a demand for respect to a lesson in how quickly a personal grievance can become an industry-wide controversy when expressed in broad terms and how an apology can begin to draw a line under the fallout.
