Juliana ‘Toyo Baby’ Olayode Tenders Heartfelt Apology to Funke Akindele, After 6 Years Fallout

Nollywood actress Juliana Olayode, popularly known as Toyo Baby, has publicly apologised to her senior colleague and mentor, Funke Akindele, following their years-long feud.

On Saturday, Olayode resorted to her Instagram page to explain how her relationship with the film producer had ended.

The actress rose to prominence as Toyosi in the popular Jenifa’s Diary TV series, in which she co-starred with Akindele.

Olayode said that her lack of industry “nitty gritty” at the time, as well as a guardian “who didn’t understand how the entertainment industry works,” contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.

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Her statement read in part, “God used Aunty Funke Akindele @funkejenifaakindele to put me into the limelight. It was a shocker for me, especially at that tender age, when I had barely left secondary school. The kind of fame I earned from playing Toyosi in Jenifa’s Diary was too enormous for my understanding.

“However, the lack of industry nitty gritty started manifesting in me, coupled with the fact that I had a guardian (manager) who didn’t understand how the entertainment industry works, and I believed anything he felt and said. My guardian sent an email to Scene One TV, the producers of the sitcom, which entire content I wasn’t aware of until recently.”

Olayode apologised for the misunderstanding and expressed her appreciation for the actor.

“Please forgive me for my childish mistakes of the past, I am deeply sorry for everything. I love you eternally, Aunty Funke,” she wrote.

She further stated that her public apology was not intended to elicit public sympathy because she had already seen Akindele in person and had peacefully resolved their argument.

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Olayode also hinted at a future collaboration with Akindele, saying that “the good days are back” and her fans “should probably anticipate.”

In the comments section, Akindele welcomed the public apology, fondly referring to Olayode as “omo mi” (my kid).

“My Juliana. I miss you. I will bite you. omo mi. I love you. See you soon,” she wrote.

While Olayode did not identify the alleged “guardian” in her Saturday post, the actress had a social media feud sometime last year with her former pastor and manager, Timi Adigun.

In a series of Instagram posts posted in January 2022, she claimed Adigun took over her Facebook page and blocked her access to her other social media accounts, despite multiple requests for passwords.

The pastor, on the other hand, rejected the allegations, claiming that he knew certain facts about the actress but did not want to reveal them.

See Juliana ‘Toyo Baby’ Olayode’s post