Toyin Abraham Under Fire Over Adire Movie Promotion After Funke Akindele’s Viral Moment at Party

Toyin Abraham Under Fire Over Adire Movie Promotion After Funke Akindele’s Viral Moment at Party

  • Toyin Abraham shared a video wearing a pink and orange Adire fabric printed with the title of her upcoming movie, Bestie
  • The post drew criticism from a follower who accused the actress of copying Funke Akindele's viral Adire promotion for her new film The Four
  • Toyin's Adire designer fired back at the critic in a sharp response that has reignited the rivalry between both Nollywood stars

Toyin Abraham is at the centre of a fresh promotional controversy after she debuted a custom Adire outfit bearing the name of her upcoming film, Besti, which is set for release in December.

Toyin Abraham draws criticism for Adire movie promotion days after Funke Akindele’s viral stunt
Toyin Abraham faces questions over Adire PR as Funke Akindele’s viral moment resurfaces. Credit: @toyinabrahm, @funkejenifaakindele
Source: Instagram

The video quickly drew comparisons to a recent moment involving Funke Akindele, who attended the KolonyEvents CEO's 40th birthday party alongside fellow stars Wumi Toriola, Kemity, Lateef Adedimeji, and Kola, all dressed in matching Adire fabric emblazoned with the title of her new movie, The Four.

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The outing went viral, with many Nigerians praising Akindele for tapping into the country's deep love of party fashion as a promotional tool.

However, Toyin's supporters were quick to remind critics that this playbook is not new.

Old footage from 2023 surfaced showing Toyin Abraham and her team already wearing custom outfits bearing the name of her film Malaika — well before the current conversation around Adire marketing began.

Netizen attacks Toyin's designer

Despite that context, a critic went directly to the comment section of the Adire fabric designer's page and wrote:

"Can't this woman do her own style? May God help us to always be more original."
The designer was having none of it. In a pointed reply, they wrote: "You're so so sock for this comment you just made. We've been planning this shoot since the announcement of this movie, we've produced customized fabric and you feel and think we should throw away all the fabrics just because of what? Y'all will just open mouth and start spewing rubbish. What exactly is y'all problem?"

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Nollywood's Promotional Rivalry Heats Up

The back-and-forth has reignited what many fans already consider one of Nollywood's most talked-about rivalries.

Toyin Abraham and Funke Akindele’s Adire promotions spark fresh debate among movie fans
Toyin Abraham’s Adire movie promotion sparks controversy days after Funke Akindele went viral. Credit: @toyinabraham
Source: Instagram

Toyin Abraham and Funke Akindele have long been pitted against each other at the box office, and any overlapping move, intentional or not, tends to draw intense public scrutiny.

Whether or not the timing of Toyin's Adire reveal was deliberate, the episode has generated exactly the kind of attention that keeps both superstars at the top of Nigeria's entertainment conversation heading into the second half of the year.

See the clip Toyin Abraham shared on her Instagram:

See the viral conversation between the two below:

Femi Adebayo cast Funke Akindele, among others in Jagun Jagun 2

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Femi Adebayo released the cast for his new movie Jagun Jagun.

His female colleague Funke Akindele was listed among the cast members. Fuji stars KWAM 1 and Pasuma were also featured in the movie.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Chinasa Afigbo avatar

Chinasa Afigbo (Entertainment Editor) Chinasa Afigbo is a pop culture/music journalist and content writer with over four years of experience in other mainstream media organisations, including Vanguard Media and Guardian Life. She holds a degree in Information Management Technology from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). She also moved on to pursue a program in media and communications. Chinasa has also been published in other Intl journals, like The African Report. Reach her at: chinasa.afigbo@corp.legit.ng.