Actress Yvonne Jegede has addressed online criticism, stating that she was never friends with Annie Macaulay and that the backlash she received for “betraying her” was based on false assumptions.
Speaking during an interview on Naija FM, Yvonne said bloggers misrepresented her actions and shifted attention away from the real purpose of her recent event. She said the narrative suggesting she betrayed Annie was inaccurate and unfair.
According to her, there was no close relationship between them beyond a professional encounter. She said, “There was never any reason for us to unfollow each other. I’ve never followed her before, and she has never followed me before. Apart from the ‘African Queen’ video, I don’t think anybody has seen us together before. I walked into a studio, I shot my part, and I left, and that was it.”
Yvonne said the controversy overshadowed her plans to launch a charity foundation, which she described as the focus of her celebration. She added that bloggers prioritised sensational angles over facts.
Reflecting on her career, she credited grace for her longevity in the industry despite taking breaks. She said, “It’s only grace that carried me. In the past 20 years, I’ve done all sorts of movies. I took a five year break from 2007 to 2012 and still made it.”
The backlash followed her public appreciation of singer Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, and his new wife Natasha Osawaru, who attended her 20 year career celebration. Yvonne described their presence as a full circle moment, noting that her career began with an appearance in 2Baba’s African Queen music video.
Some social media users criticised her for praising Natasha amid public attention surrounding 2Baba’s separation from Annie Idibia. Reports later emerged that Yvonne and Annie unfollowed each other on Instagram.
