Entertainment

Meet Female Celebrities with Crashed Marriages

Published

8 years ago

March 31, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Many have argued that the entertainment industry has no room for sincere marriages while a great many others have debunked the assessment. It is on record that so many female entertainers have called it quit with their marriages for one irreconcilable differences or another. However, the likes of Joke Sylva, Chioma Chukwura, Mercy Johnson and Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde are still waxing strong in marriage just as the likes of Chika Ike, Tonto Dike and many others have given up on the institution. Check out a few entertainment figures who had failed to handle marriage even after children were involved.

INI EDO

Ini Edo Ekim is an actress, producer and politician born on April 19, 1982. Since she began her film career in 2000, she has featured in over 100 movies. She is known for her role in the movie, Worlds Apart. She is an award winning actress. She delved into politics in 2016 when she was appointed the Special Assistant to the Akwa-Ibom State government on Culture and Tourism by Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. She was married to Philip Ehiagwina from 2008 to 2014. She is now divorced and single. To the onlookers, Ini’s six years sojourn in marriage was unprecendented as many never expected the marriage to last that long. Today, the young woman is back on the spinster’s list.

IYABO OGUNRO

Alice Iyabo Ogunro formerly known as Alice Iyabo Ojo is a filmmaker, actress and director, born on December 21, 1977. She has featured in more than 150 films, 14 of which she produced on her own. One of her movies, Silence, which featured Doris Simeon, Fathia Balogun, Alex Usifo amongst others was premiered in January, 2015. She is known for movies like Arinzo, Silence and Beyond Disability. After she got married to a Lagos-based marketer, she took a break from her busy career. The union was blessed with a son and a daughter. However, she is now divorced from their father. She has now officially dropped her former husband’s surname, Ojo. It is confirmed that the actress is finding solace in England.

TOKE MAKINWA

Toke Makinwa is an On-Air Personality, Youtube Vlogger, Television Host and Bestselling Author born on November 3, 1984. She is a television presenter on Moments with Mo on the EbonyLife TV network. She owns a Youtube channel called TokeMoments. She is also known for being a co-host on Rhythm 93.7 FM’s The Morning Drive. She has also been a brand ambassador for brands like Maggi, Payporte, Ciroc and Mecran Cosmetics. She is a best-selling author of On Becoming, a book which served as a platform for the media personality to shed the light on her failed marriage with Maje Ayida. On 15 January 2014, Toks as she is fondly called had a private wedding ceremony with her lover of eight years, Maje Ayida. However in 2015, she had a divorce from her marriage which was caused by a scandal revealing that her husband had impregnated his ex-girlfriend. Since then, the Youtube Vlogger has remained single and dedicated to her work.

FATHIA BALOGUN

Fathia Williams Balogun as she is formally called is an actress, director and producer. She was born on the February 5, 1969. She is a Delta state indigene from Ethiope East local government. The 48 year old award winning actress is known for movies like Ishanna, Ohun Oko Somida and Awawu. She was married to Saheed Balogun, her fellow Nigerian actor. The marriage was blessed with three kids before it headed for the rocks. Since then, the light-skinned actress has remained single and focused on her work.

DORIS SIMEON

Doris Simeon is an award winning Nollywood actress born and bred in the Ojota area of Lagos State. The Yoruba and English actress started her successful career in the popular Papa Ajasco series. However the PEFT institute graduate got her big break in the movie, Oloju Ede. She is now known for movies like Modupetemi and Ten Million Naira. The light skinned actress got married to Nollywood producer, Daniel Ademinokan. The union was blessed with a beautiful son, David. The marriage however, crashed in May 2013.

Entertainment

Joeboy Stars on Easter Edition of Glo-Powered African Voices

Published

2 days ago

April 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria-born Afro-pop star, Joeboy, whose melodies now ripple across continents, takes centre stage this week on the Easter edition of African Voices, the Globacom-sponsored CNN magazine programme.

In a captivating session from Lagos, show anchor Larry Madowo drew out the rhythm of Joeboy’s journey, tracing the arc from a starry-eyed university dreamer to a maestro whose songs now traverse the globe like whispered secrets carried on the wind.

Born Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus in 1997, Joeboy—affectionately dubbed Afrobeats’ “lover boy”—embarked on his musical odyssey in 2017 with a viral reinterpretation of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.

This pivot from rap to melodious crooning caught the discerning eye of Nigerian artiste and entrepreneur Mr Eazi, who, upon discovering him on Instagram, extended an invitation to join the emPawa Africa Talent Incubation initiative—a sanctuary for budding African talents where raw potential is nurtured into brilliance.

The partnership bore fruit in 2018 with the release of Fààjí, featuring Mr Eazi, and soon after, Joeboy was signed to Warner Music Africa. From there, his ascent became a symphony of milestones: the intoxicating single Baby in 2019, followed by Beginning, which amassed over 23 million views on YouTube, and Love & Light the same year.

Collaborations with Mayorkun yielded the spirited tracks Don’t Call Me and All for You, further cementing his place in the Afrobeats constellation.

Joeboy’s debut album, Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic, unfurled in February 2021, a melodic tapestry of youth, hope, and desire. By 19 May 2023, he unveiled his sophomore studio effort, Body & Soul, preceded by the evocative singles Sip (Alcohol), Contour, Body & Soul, and Duffel Bag. In 2023, he teased the world with Only God Save Me and the extended EP Body, Soul and Spirit, offering listeners a window into the essence of his artistic spirit.

February 2024 marked another milestone as he launched his own imprint, Young Legend, soon releasing Osadebe, a track that resonated nationwide with the familiar warmth of homegrown brilliance.

Joeboy’s dedication has been richly rewarded. He clinched Best Artiste in African Pop at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and Best Pop at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. His music has earned numerous nominations, including at the City People Entertainment Awards and The Headies, affirming his status as a luminary of contemporary African sound.

The Easter edition of African Voices featuring Joeboy will air on DSTV Channel 401 at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, with repeats at 11 a.m.; Sunday at 3:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Monday at 3 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.; and Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. The schedule will be mirrored the following week, culminating in Monday at 3 a.m., giving audiences multiple opportunities to bask in the artistry of a musician whose voice carries the pulse of a continent.

Entertainment

Hollywood Action Movie Superstar Chuck Norris Dies at 86

Published

2 weeks ago

March 20, 2026

Eric

Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 86 years old.

“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family said in a statement on Instagram.

“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives,” the statement said.

Norris reportedly fell ill on Thursday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Norris turned 86 last week, marking the event with a video of him boxing on social media and saying, “I don’t age. I level up.”

Entertainment

Great Facts About the Forthcoming Oscars You Need to Know

Published

3 weeks ago

March 14, 2026

Eric

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Below are great facts about the forthcoming Oscars most entertainment buffs may not have know…

1. Oscar is a nickname. The origins of the nickname are not clear, but a popular story has been that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick thought it resembled her Uncle Oscar and said so. The Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar, but the Academy itself didn’t use the nickname officially until 1939.

2. Each Oscar statuette is individually handcrafted, and the Oscar statuette stands at 13½ inches high and weighs 81/2 pounds.

3. The Oscar statuette is the most recognized award in the world and statuettes have been presented since the first initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929.

4. At age 74, Clint Eastwood became the oldest winner to date in the Directing category.

5. Hattie McDaniel is the first African American to win a best supporting actress Oscar. She won for her role as Mammy in the 1939 movie “Gone with the Wind.”

6. Halle Berry is the first African American actress to win best actress Oscar. She won in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.”

7. In 2002, Denzel Washington became the second African American actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor (“Training Day”), and the first African American actor to have won Oscars for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor (Sidney Poitier was the first to win an Oscar in 1963 for “Lilies of the Field “).

8. Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock have previously hosted the Oscars, but Billy Crystal remains the longest serving host. Crystal has hosted the Oscars nine times to date.

9. Attendance at the Oscars ceremony is by invitation only. No tickets are sold to the public and in Oscar history; only three circumstances have prevented the Academy Awards presentation from going off as scheduled. The first was in 1938, when destructive floods all but washed-out Los Angeles and delayed the ceremony. In 1968, the Awards ceremony was postponed out of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated a few days earlier, and in 1981, the Awards were postponed for 24 hours because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

10. The longest Oscar telecast was the 74th Oscars show in 2002 which had a running time of 4 hours, 23 minutes. Shortest Oscar telecast was the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 which had a running time of 1 hour, 40 minutes.

The Oscars, one of the most-watched live entertainment events of the year, will be held on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu. With 16 nominations, Sinners set the record for most nominations for a film for the 98th Oscars.

Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.