Nollywood actress Funke Akindele appeared to snub actress Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi on Sunday at the premiere of actress Iyabo Ojo’s movie ‘The Return of Arinzo’ in Lagos.
A viral video from the event on Sunday showed Ms Ajeyemi approaching Ms Akindele’s table after greeting Ms Ojo.
She appeared to say “Aunty Funke”, in an attempt to greet her, but Ms Akindele kept a stern expression and looked away without responding.
Ms Ajeyemi then exchanged greetings with the man seated beside Ms Akindele and appeared to try once more, but the actress still did not acknowledge her.
She later turned back to greet Ms Ojo again and also exchanged pleasantries with actress and filmmaker Mercy Aigbe before leaving the table.
The rumoured tension between the two actresses has persisted for years.
In 2021, Ms Ajeyemi’s ‘The Ghost and the Tout Too’ and Ms Akindele’s ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ were released around the same time, prompting fans to compare the filmmakers.
Ms Ajeyemi has repeatedly dismissed the rumours and publicly praised Ms Akindele.
Fans kept comparing the two and suggesting there was rivalry between them.
In 2024, Ms Ajeyemi made a social media post speaking on the competition that once existed in the Yoruba movie industry, noting that gossip often creates unnecessary tension among actors.
By 2025, fans believed both women had moved past the rumours after they exchanged conversations on social media and were later seen laughing together at a movie premiere.
Fans have taken to social media to comment on the incident, with some defending Ms Akindele’s attitude as simply being honest, and others commending Ms Ajeyemi’s attempt to greet the former.
One Instagram user, 3riple_banky, said, “If I don’t like you, walahi, I no fit pretend.”
Another user, seunfunmi_ewa, said, “What I see in this video is what they call ‘ let’s keep it real’. For her to ignore Toyin here definitely they’re not on talking terms before the premier, so why is she acting? for the camera? Just leave Funke alone.”
“Y’all saying Funke is not a pretender will still be ones to eat Toyin up if she greeted others and ignored Funke,” said phoenix_akonam. “I am glad she tried greeting, and that happened, so that people will not just assume and blame Toyin.”
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