Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has dismissed long-standing rumours of a feud between her and fellow actress Genevieve Nnaji, saying they were never at loggerheads.
Speaking during an interview on Yanga FM, Omotola clarified that claims of a prolonged rift were exaggerated by fans and media narratives, stressing that “people don’t need to be best friends.”
According to her, fans often pitched them against each other, creating a perceived rivalry that did not exist. “Na them start the quarrel before we know say we dey quarrel. So, we have to catch up with the quarrel. There was no quarrel,” she said.
Responding to a question on whether the alleged disagreement lasted for nearly 20 years before their collaboration on the film Ijé, Omotola explained that while they were not close friends, they maintained communication behind the scenes.
She noted that the rivalry narrative was similar to what currently exists among top music stars, adding that such comparisons were common in the industry at the time.
“We were young, everybody dey do her own thing. You know how the industry is. They pitch you against this person, say this one is the hottest girl, that one is the hottest girl. Those kinds of tensions happen normally, but people read more meaning into it,” Omotola said.
