Iyabo Ojo: From Regular Nollywood Actress to One of the Most Talked About Nigerian Celebrities in Recent Times
- Popular Nigerian actress, Iyabo Ojo, is one celebrity who has had her fair share of love and hate from netizens
- The movie star who rose to fame in the Yoruba movie industry has been able to garner love from even English-speaking fans for various reasons
- Iyabo’s talent as an actress is undeniable, and Legit.ng will be taking a look at her impressive rise to fame and dominance on social media
Being in the spotlight has been described by many as something that is not meant for the faint-hearted. However, top Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, seems to have been readily prepared for fame and the several curveballs it brings.
While many celebrities have been tagged as troublesome for being outspoken and daring, Iyabo Ojo seems to have gained the love of even more fans, as many of them look up to her as their inspiration.
Source: Instagram
However, before the movie star became a celebrity making regular headlines, she used to be more lowkey in the entertainment industry and barely had any controversies trailing her.
Today, Legit.ng will be looking at the movie star’s rise to fame from an underrated actress to one of the most talked about Nigerian celebrities in recent times.
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How Iyabo Ojo's journey started
The Nigerian entertainment industry has been described by many as being a hard one to get into and Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo seemed to have her fair share of that. The movie star reportedly started out in school, where she was part of a drama group and also featured in some plays. However, her professional career was said to have kicked off in 1998 with the help of movie veteran, Bimbo Akintola. According to several reports, the veteran actress helped Iyabo join the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), where she was able to meet other movie stars who influenced her career.
Iyabo has also credited veteran actor, Ekpenyong Bassey, as being an influence during the early days of her career. The actress celebrated Bassey’s 60th birthday with a sweet message on social media where she claimed that the referral note he gave her for a movie director, Uncle Matthias, 25 years prior was a turning point in her career.
Iyabo Ojo went on to be very popular in the Yoruba Nollywood industry. However, not many are aware that she kick-started her career acting in English-speaking movies, with her first role being in a film called Satanic in 1998. In 2002, she acted in her first Yoruba movie titled Baba Darijiwon.
Iyabo Ojo’s controversies
Despite being a much-loved Nigerian actress, Iyabo is no doubt one of the most controversial movie stars in the country. This might be connected to the fact that she is quite vocal on social media on issues that others would rather not speak on. In 2021, the actress stepped on the toes of many of her older colleagues after she publicly condemned the criminal act of one of their own, James Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha. The comic actor was accused of molesting the adopted daughter of comedienne Princess, and the scandal made headlines for different reasons. Despite not knowing Princess personally, Iyabo put her weight behind her and did not allow herself to be intimidated by her colleagues, including older ones, who wanted her not to interfere. She also boldly called out some veteran Nollywood stars who supported Baba Ijesha.
Another time Iyabo Ojo was quite controversial was during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. The movie star publicly supported Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, despite her Yoruba movie industry colleagues being in support of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This led to her falling out with old friends, such as NURTW chieftain, MC Oluomo, among others. After the election was won by the APC, Iyabo also made headlines when the Lagos state government served her with an N18 million tax bill, giving her only seven days to pay up. She was quick to go to social media to call out the government while sharing proof of different taxes she had been paying.
Iyabo Ojo’s love life
Many Nigerian female celebrities usually make the news for not having successful marriages, perhaps due to the pressures of their career, and Iyabo Ojo is one star whose marriage also hit the rocks. According to several reports, the movie star got married to a Lagos-based clearing agent at the young age of 21. Their union produced two children, Festus and Priscilla. The marriage, however, did not last, and not much is known about the actress’ ex-husband. However, in 2018, Iyabo Ojo’s kids took to social media to proudly show off their father after not seeing him for several years.
Apart from her ex-husband, Iyabo Ojo has been rumoured to be romantically linked with a number of individuals, including MC Oluomo, Dino Melaye and more, but she never publicly admitted to them. As a matter of fact, she once said that whoever she dates is her business because she is old enough to do whatever she wants with herself.
In December 2022, the movie star got her fans on social media buzzing after she unveiled popular show promoter, PaulO Okoye, as her lover. This came many weeks after she had gushed about her mystery ‘Obim’ on social media. Her relationship with PaulO came with its own share of criticisms from netizens, but the majority seemed to think the couple were cute together. In a recent interview with Daddy Freeze, they made it clear that they were not considering having kids and that their relationship was for enjoyment and going on vacations.
Iyabo Ojo's social media influence
Apart from being loved for her outspoken nature, Iyabo’s fame seemed to increase during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown. The movie star was known to unwind by posting funny videos on TikTok and this put the full range of her acting talent on display. She was able to show her classy, razz and ‘vawulence’ side in her hilarious videos, and this attracted a wide range of audience to her page. On Instagram, she currently has 6 million followers and over 14.5 million on her TikTok page. In 2021, she also won the award for best creative TikTok influencer.
Iyabo Ojo puts herself in trending conversations
While speaking on how Iyabo Ojo has been able to become one of the most talked about Nigerian actresses, social media expert, Tobiloba, explained that the movie star usually puts herself in trending conversations. According to him, it usually comes off like she is on the side of the public.
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He said:
“Well, to be honest I will say she has decided to put herself in conversations that are trending. From supporting comedienne Princess on the Baba Ijesha case against her colleagues to supporting Peter Obi in the 2023 election against her colleagues' choice candidate.
Iyabo Ojo has been able to evolve through trends
One of the actress’ social media fans, Pelumi Oladejo, also shared her thoughts with Legit.ng on how Iyabo Ojo has been able to remain relevant over the years.
According to her, the movie star gets involved in controversial topics that other people shy away from.
She said:
“Well, she has become one of the most talked about celebrities by getting involved in controversial topics. Topics that most celebrities would not want to get involved in because it’s quite sensitive and they wouldn’t want to jeopardize their chances with being involved.
"Whereas if one can speak up and take the right stance in the face of injustice, tribalism, fraud etc, the country would have made progress.
"In this country we need celebrities to be more than celebrities. The country needs them to show solidarity, support, and fearlessness in the face of unlawful misconduct all for a good cause, much of which Iyabo Ojo has been doing which has further imprinted her in the hearts of many Nigerians.”
The fan also added that Iyabo Ojo did not remain static in her career and has been able to evolve with the trends, unlike some of her colleagues.
“Also for someone her age, she has been able to evolve easily through trends unlike most of her colleagues that they started out in the movie industry,” she added.
Iyabo Ojo is no doubt a multi-faceted Nigerian actress who has been able to gain the respect of many in the industry. Her successful lifestyle, despite being a single mother to two biological children and several adopted kids, is one that is not only admirable but also commendable. She does not seem to fear being in the spotlight, even if it is for controversial reasons, and she has been able to hold her own when being attacked. Her style of going on Instagram Live to address issues earned her the ‘black bonnet’ nickname because she wore it for ‘vawulence’ issues. Her love life, boldness, talent as an actress and more have made her a person to talk about, and it does not seem likely to stop soon.
Funke Akindele's rise to fame from child actress to top movie star
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported on Funke Akindele, a top Nollywood actress who started off as a child star.
The Nigerian entertainment industry evolved through many stages and not many people were fortunate enough to survive it. While some people did not rest on their oars and kept on pushing for when their big break would come, others fell off on the sidelines and remained only a faint memory in the minds of a few.
The movie industry bigwigs today would not be listed without the name of Funke Akindele being mentioned. Well, it was not always peaches and roses for her, and she paid her dues in the industry before attaining her level of importance.
Source: Legit.ng
