{"id":5420,"date":"2026-11-01T06:45:48","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T06:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/01\/fans-renew-funke-akindele-toyin-abraham-rivalry-ahead-of-december-releases\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T06:45:48","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T06:45:48","slug":"fans-renew-funke-akindele-toyin-abraham-rivalry-ahead-of-december-releases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/01\/fans-renew-funke-akindele-toyin-abraham-rivalry-ahead-of-december-releases\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans renew Funke Akindele-Toyin Abraham rivalry ahead of December releases"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Nollywood actresses and filmmakers Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham prepare to release new films in December, their fans have revived comparisons between the stars, scrutinising their promotional strategies, industry relationships and box-office ambitions.\n<\/p>\n

The actresses, both established names in Nigeria\u2019s film industry, have repeatedly found themselves at the centre of online debates over box-office performance, promotional strategies and alleged attempts to copy each other.\n<\/p>\n

Although the rivalry has experienced periods of calm, recent incidents have reignited discussions about their relationship, with supporters of both actresses, known as Titans and Jenifans, scrutinising their moves and interpreting seemingly ordinary events as evidence of an ongoing feud.\n<\/p>\n

Their upcoming films, The Four: No One Fights Alone by Akindele and Bestie by Abraham, have added another dimension to the competition as their promotional campaigns draw comparisons ahead of the December cinema season.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adire, other promotional content rivalry<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

One of the latest flashpoints involves the actresses\u2019 use of customised Adire fabrics to promote their films.\n<\/p>\n

Akindele and members of her team, including Wumi Toriola, Kemity and Lateef Adedimeji, recently attended the 40th birthday celebration of KolonyEvents\u2019 chief executive, Nike Akinyemi, in matching blue Adire fabric bearing the title of The Four.<\/p>\n

Supporters of Abraham cited her 2023 promotional outfits for Malaika, arguing that she had previously used customised fabrics.\n<\/p>\n

Shortly afterwards, Abraham shared pictures of herself in pink-and-orange Adire fabric bearing the title of Bestie. The similarity prompted accusations of copying, which Abraham\u2019s designer disputed, saying the fabric had been planned earlier.\n<\/p>\n

A fan, Mide Love (@mide_finegirl22), wrote, \u201cBabe I\u2019m seeing too much coincidence in trying to copy everything Funke does. First was the Adire for promotion then now she\u2019s talking about tiktok collaboration, just when Funke announced her own yesterday. The timing is just somehow.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Another fan, Tbaz (@Omoeriolu), responded, \u201cWho\u2019s copying who??? It\u2019s you people that are the problem atp\u2026 Toyin has always been using Adire for her Movie promotion; no be today na so why were you people not saying FA copied?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Some Jenifans also criticised the way Abraham unveiled her new film title while showcasing recent titles, describing the announcement style as \u201cFunke style\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

Facebook, TikTok collaborations spark fresh comparisons<\/strong><\/p>\n

In October, Akindele\u2019s promotional partnership with Facebook for The Four became another talking point.<\/p>\n

Around the same period, Abraham shared a throwback post about her participation in a TikTok cinema event linked to Oversabi Aunty, while expressing anticipation for Bestie.\n<\/p>\n

A fan, nddydav (@nddydav22), wrote, \u201cIf pain were a person it\u2019s definitely you.. So because Funke Akindele partnered with Facebook, today you are doing throwback.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Another commenter, Arabella (@Bellahush2), offered a different interpretation, writing, \u201cFunke fans were throwing shade at Toyin that she will soon copy Funke collaborating with Facebook. Later, Toyin posted her throwback and Funke fans started dragging her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The two activities were not necessarily equivalent. Akindele had organised a watch party for Behind the Scenes, while Abraham attended a TikTok Africa event where the same film was screened. However, fans continued debating which actress had the stronger digital-platform strategy.\n<\/p>\n

CNN interview debut\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

When Akindele\u2019s interview with Larry Madowo on CNN\u2019s African Voices appeared around October 30, 2026, fans again drew comparisons between the actresses\u2019 international media appearances.\n<\/p>\n

Titans recirculated Abraham\u2019s 2023 CNN interview. Prince Adeshina (@RealAdeshina) wrote, \u201cIn 2023, CNN Africa interviewed Toyin Abraham. Kindly watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenifans countered by pointing to Akindele\u2019s earlier appearances. Enit\u2019ayanfe Ayosojumi Akinsanya (@OsumareAyomi) wrote:
\u201cAhh. You people won\u2019t stop with false info?
Fra, perhaps?\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFunke Akindele got on CNN Africa in 2017 oo. Now again, 2026, on CNN Global. Nobody else that was mentioned set any trend o.\n<\/p>\n

\u201c2017 is not 2023 o. O jina si\u2019ra won. Stop setting your mama up for unnecessary drags.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Other Jenifans also shared clips of Akindele to argue that she had achieved international visibility years earlier.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham\u2026Photo Credit: IG\/ Toyin Abraham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Leaked voice note sparks fresh controversy<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

The rivalry intensified in mid-October after an approximately 11-minute audio recording reportedly involving Abraham and TikTok fan Bisgold circulated online.\n<\/p>\n

In the recording, Bisgold made insulting remarks about Akindele on the call.<\/p>\n

The recording sparked criticism from some Jenifans, who framed it as hypocrisy and linked it to the earlier premiere incident involving the actresses.\n<\/p>\n

Some Titans questioned the recording\u2019s authenticity or context and criticised the circulation of what was described as a private conversation.\n<\/p>\n

Bisgold later apologised to Abraham. Abraham did not publicly confirm that the voice in the recording was hers.\n<\/p>\n

Actress Foluke Daramola\u2019s defence of Abraham after the voice-note controversy drew sharp reactions online.\n<\/p>\n

After the leaked audio, Foluke Daramola posted a defence of Toyin on Instagram saying, \u201cOluwatoyin. Is there anything that she can say behind ur back and she won\u2019t say in front of u? I doubt that sha. But one thing I will say about her is the wonderful spirit she has even with these Genz\u2019s the last time I called my daughter she didn\u2019t pick I told her I was with Toyin, she called back sharp sharp. I don\u2019t know how u do it o\n<\/p>\n

@toyin_abraham but u have a wonderful spirit and I bless God for ur life. #bestieiscoming.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Fans dragged her for \u201cstylishly taking sides\u201d.<\/p>\n

She later responded to critics, accepting the label, questioning the hate\/bitterness, noting she had stayed quiet a long time, and warning that if anyone tried nonsense she would curse them.\n<\/p>\n

Iyabo Ojo\u2019s premiere snub resurfaces<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

The March 29, 2026, encounter between the actresses at the premiere of Iyabo Ojo\u2019s film, The Return of Arinzo, continues to feature in online discussions about their relationship.\n<\/p>\n

A video from the event showed Abraham approaching a table where Akindele sat with Ojo and Mercy Aigbe.\n<\/p>\n

While Ojo and Aigbe acknowledged Abraham, reports surrounding the video said Akindele did not visibly respond to her greeting.\n<\/p>\n

The encounter prompted debate on social media, with viewers discussing the actresses\u2019 body language and the circumstances surrounding their interaction.\n<\/p>\n

Both actresses subsequently unfollowed each other on social media, further fuelling speculation about the state of their relationship.<\/p>\n

Fans on both sides continue to debate the incident, with some defending Akindele\u2019s response and others criticising the perceived snub.\n<\/p>\n

With The Four: No One Fights Alone and Bestie scheduled for the December cinema season, the actresses\u2019 promotional campaigns are likely to remain under close scrutiny from fans, whose online comparisons have helped keep the rivalry in public view\n <\/p>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Punch Newspapers – Latest News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Nollywood actresses and filmmakers Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham prepare to release new films in December, their fans have revived comparisons between the stars, scrutinising their promotional strategies, industry… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5420\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}