She Yelled At Me” – Kunle Afolayan Responds After Funke Akindele Slams Him Over Movie Promo Comments
She Yelled At Me” – Kunle Afolayan Responds After Funke Akindele Slams Him Over Movie Promo Comments
Veteran Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has addressed the controversy surrounding comments he made about movie promotion, which drew strong reactions from actress Funke Akindele.
The disagreement began after a video from an interview featuring Afolayan went viral, in which he spoke about the pressures filmmakers face when promoting their movies, including activities such as excessive dancing, which he described as exhausting. In the discussion, he mentioned Funke Akindele and other filmmakers, prompting an online backlash.
Funke Akindele responded to the comments through a series of posts on her Instagram story, expressing her displeasure. Speaking to ARISE News, Afolayan clarified that his remarks were taken out of context and were never meant as a personal attack on Akindele or her promotional style.
According to Afolayan, the situation escalated to the point where Akindele personally called him. “Funke Akindele called me yesterday and yelled at me. She said, ‘Mr. Afolayan, I know you don’t like me, but stop mentioning my name in your interviews.’ Then she cut the call on me,” he revealed.
He emphasized that his comments were part of a discussion at a film business forum with cinema operators, focusing on profitability and sustainability in the industry. He explained that he had expressed reservations about returning his films to cinemas unless the financial structure improved, and that Funke’s name was mentioned only as an example of success, not as criticism.
“I have nothing against Funke. Just last week at a film festival in Kaduna, I told young people to adopt her as a model. I never said she should not dance or promote her films,” Afolayan added, noting his encouragement for filmmakers to explore promotional strategies that work best for them.
