Smoking used to be part of the swagger. It seemed like a cultural accessory, an image of rebellion that fit perfectly into the music, film, and nightlife worlds. In the early days of Afrobeats and Nollywood’s golden era, cigarettes were props of cool; they glowed in music videos, set moods in films, and often filled late-night studio sessions.
But times have changed.
Across Nigeria’s entertainment scene, an unmistakable shift is happening with celebrities who once glamorised or casually indulged in smoking are now publicly quitting. From actor Don Richard to street rap star Zlatan Ibile, the list grows longer each year. Behind the Instagram announcements and interviews lies a deeper story of health scares, spiritual awakenings, family responsibilities, and the realities of addiction.
Don Richard: From Habit to Health Crisis
Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Richard Oguntimehin aka Don Richard surprised many when he publicly revealed he had quit both smoking and drinking two years ago. It was a move that seemed to mark the start of a healthier chapter.
Yet the story took an unexpected turn. In a stark reversal of the “quit and recover” narrative, Don Richard revealed that not long after stopping his habits, he fell critically ill. He described his system “crashing” with chest pains, fatigue and organ complications that doctors said were tied to internal damage. He said in a viral video:
“I gave up cigarettes and alcohol completely for two years. But strangely, that’s when the real battle for my life began.”
Even more sobering was when Don Richard said his health crisis revealed that many prominent people’s ailments stem from internal organ damage. These organs may already be compromised years before symptoms even appear.
His quitting decision, while commendable, came with a price and a lesson that giving up smoking wasn’t a complete reset. It’s quite saddening that it sparked a hidden crisis for him and not a clean outcome like many others.
Don Jazzy: From Smoke to Self-Discipline
In September 2019, when Don Jazzy celebrated one year without cigarettes, the post went viral because of how ordinary and honest it sounded. He wrote:
“Today makes it one year since I quit smoking. Wow. I did it.”
The Mavin Records founder admitted quitting was one of his hardest personal battles, and it came not from illness but introspection. The move was a quiet, conscious effort to gain control.
Yemi Alade: Protecting the Voice that Pays the Bills
Few understand the body as an instrument the way Yemi Alade does. The Afro-pop queen in November 2025 spoke about experimenting with smoking in university, then quitting before it threatened her career. She told Chude Jideonwo on WithChude podcast:
“Some people say I don’t smoke, I don’t this, I don’t that. When I was in the university I tried smoking. It did not work out. But before it did not work out, it worked out a bit too much. I started needing to smoke before I go to bed. I was getting addicted to that lifestyle. But also, in public, I would hide the cigarette.
“So, I was like, ‘What’s this life; the discomfort that I can’t go to bed without smoking and then when I go out, l am going to hide the cigarette?
As a teenager in the university trying to figure out life, I also made certain decisions for myself that if I’m going to hide to do something, I will not do it. Because I like to be aware of my environment and my decisions. And I just said I don’t think cigarettes are for me.
“They are not for me. And they harmed me, they affected my voice anyways. So I stopped.
Smoking for me did not last up to a year.”
For a performer known for her stamina on stage and crisp vocals, it was a survival move.
Korede Bello: Awareness Over Addiction
Korede Bello’s calm persona hides years of quiet introspection. In interviews, the singer has admitted that fame comes with temptations from substances as well as pressure, and that he chose clarity over indulgence. The Godwin hitmaker said on the Say My Piece podcast in 2024:
“I tried weed before but it’s not my thing. Very early on in my life… it was just something that people did around me and this is something about myself I have a very addictive personality so whatever I find pleasurable it can turn into an addiction.”
He also spoke about how he witnessed his father’s unhealthy smoking habit, which left a lasting impression on him. Korede Bello continued:
“My dad used to smoke a lot of cigarettes and as a child, he used to send me to get him cigarettes. I noticed something then, he used to cough a lot so I’d ask him ‘Daddy why are you coughing?’ and he’d tell me ‘It’s because of the cigarette. So if you don’t wanna cough like me, don’t smoke.’ So early on he already planted something in my mind that this is something unhealthy and I don’t want to be the kind of person who does that so that was a good priming.”
TG Omori: A Director’s Decision
Visual storyteller TG Omori shocked fans when he tweeted in April 2024:
“Quit smoking today.”
No buildup, no drama. Just a stark declaration.
The creative powerhouse behind countless Afrobeats videos had been battling health issues privately. There were reports that his decision stemmed from a medical warning especially as he battled kidney failure.
Tonto Dikeh: Faith, Fire and Fresh Air
Tonto Dikeh’s life is an open book of reinvention. She started smoking since she was 11 but in 2012 she claimed that TB Joshua delivered her from smoking. She wrote on X (then Twitter):
“I’ve good news for those who wish me well. Its silly good news but yall going to love this. I quit smoking! I didn’t quit smoking by myself. I was watching a program on TV with Prophet T.B. Joshua and he was laying hands on people and praying for them. I love to watch his programs on Emmanuel TV. When he was praying, he said,
‘Lay your hands on the TV’ and I just laid my hands that day. I actually needed something else from God, not to quit smoking because I loved smoking! However, after praying I sat back and I think I slept off. When I woke up, I took a stick of cigarette and I felt crazy. I couldn’t even imagine that I took it up to smoke in the first place. It felt like poison!”
Pete Edochie: The Veteran’s Warning
Long before public health campaigns, Pete Edochie was already preaching restraint. The Nollywood icon has spoken about how he quit smoking. He admitted that he used to smoke for 21 years before doing away with cigarette sticks. In his words:
“I smoked for 21 years before I quit, and each time I got tensed up, I looked for a cigarette, and psychologically I was puffing away the anger; but there is no other thing it does for you physically but to destroy your lungs”
Hanks Anuku: Survival and Spirituality
Known for his “bad boy” movie roles, Hanks Anuku lived his parts offscreen for years. But when addiction nearly destroyed him, he found faith and recovery.
He is another Nollywood actor who claims that Pastor T.B Joshua delivered him from smoking.
Anuku revealed that smoking and alcoholism nearly made him a mad man. His words:.
”Yes, I got my healing through TB Joshua. It is our Lord’s doing.
I was having issues with my mentality for over seven years. You would have noticed that I have not been that frequent in movies for a long time. Even when I was a Special Assistant to our dear Governor, I was not in a good state of mind and this affected my work in the Government House, before I was advised to seek for a solution in Ghana. I spent so much money visiting hospitals, orthodox and unorthodox doctors without positive results. Until I was introduced to TB Joshua. I was only watching his TV program in Ghana and was healed. I put my faith into it just like the woman with the issue of blood and knew that I would be healed and I got my healing. I am now a mentally stable man. I have dropped the drinking and smoking habit. Glory be to God.”
Yvonne Nwosu: Beauty, Breath and Business
For fashion designer and influencer Yvonne Nwosu, quitting smoking was about taking control of her image. In 2019, she said her decision to “say no to cancer sticks” is the best decision in her life. She added that:
“I just want to live longer, smell fresh, have better looking skin and yaaasssss fresh breath. I want to glow differently. Smoking was aging me.”
Zlatan Ibile: Discipline and Detachment
The rapper who once embodied the carefree street energy of the “Zanku” era surprised fans when he revealed he quit smoking years ago. On October 30, 2025, Zlatan wrote on Snapchat:
“A day can’t pass without someone asking me this question. Yes, I quit smoking 4 years ago. And I have no issues with smokers.”
He attributed it to discipline and fatherhood. As his fame grew, so did his sense of responsibility. For Zlatan, quitting was about the clarity needed to sustain his art and family life.
The Ones Who Struggle:
Not every journey ends cleanly.
Kizz Daniel famously quit smoking on his birthday in 2022, saying it was a gift to himself and his children. But months later, he admitted he had relapsed: “E no easy,” he confessed, explaining that stress and routine pulled him back.
Davido in 2019 publicly announced quitting smoking, inspired by Don Jazzy quitting.
For Tekno, after suffering vocal cord damage that forced him off stage and into surgery, the singer revealed in 2019 that he made lifestyle changes that included dropping weed smoking, in order to preserve his health.
Yet again in 2022, Tekno shared that he was embarking on a 30-day challenge to abstain from smoking weed. He provided daily updates to his followers, noting that the initial period was difficult and he had trouble sleeping on the first night after quitting.
Conclusion
The entertainment industry, once tolerant of visible vices, now rewards wellness. Endorsement deals, brand affiliations, and even audience sentiment lean toward discipline and control.
Celebrities understand that image is currency and cigarettes no longer look like success.
It’s less about moral superiority and more about self-preservation, a rare kind of vulnerability.
Smoking may have once symbolised cool. Now, quitting does.