Actor Deyemi Okanlawon has shown support for singer Simi following backlash over her recent comments on rape.
Deyemi took to his X page on Monday to repost one of Simi’s messages and wrote, “‘When women say “STOP rap*ng women’… Your response cannot be ‘what abt men/children’ neither can it be ‘what abt false accusers’ nor anything else. Your reply MUST only be YES!!! You can start your own separate conversation abt anything else at another time/place.”
The controversy began on February 18, after a TikToker known as Mirabel posted a video claiming she had been raped. The video went viral and drew widespread condemnation. However, as inconsistencies emerged, the claim was later said to be false, leading to divided reactions online.
In a series of posts on X, the 37-year-old said sexual violence is more common than many admit. “Almost every woman I know personally has been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives,” she wrote.
She argued that fear of false accusations should not silence victims. “You can’t think it’s okay to shut people up from speaking up about assault because some people lie,” she stated. She then asked, “How many of your male friends have they lied against? How many of your friends have actually assaulted women as vibes??”
Simi described the fear many women live with. “Ask your sisters. Ask your female friends and your girlfriends. Ask your wives. We’re not all crazy. STOP RAPING WOMEN!!” she wrote.
In another post, she called on men to hold one another accountable. “Men should hold other men accountable. Many of you create safe spaces for your friends’ perverted and wicked behaviour because ‘I’m not like that’,” she said.
She added, “I take a pepper spray when I walk outside alone or with my daughter. Do you think I’m scared of other women?”
Addressing critics, she wrote, “If you’re not a rapist and people calling out rapists bother you, you need to sit and have a conversation with yourself. Because why are you triggered if you’re not guilty???”
Following the revelation that Mirabel’s claim was false, critics accused Simi of being insensitive. Old tweets from 2012 resurfaced, in which she joked about interactions with children at a daycare. Some users labelled her a pedophile and called for her to be cancelled. A derogatory nickname also trended briefly.
