Fans renew Funke Akindele-Toyin Abraham rivalry ahead of December releases

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.

The actresses, both established names in Nigeria’s 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.

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.

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.

Adire, other promotional content rivalry

One of the latest flashpoints involves the actresses’ use of customised Adire fabrics to promote their films.

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

Supporters of Abraham cited her 2023 promotional outfits for Malaika, arguing that she had previously used customised fabrics.

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’s designer disputed, saying the fabric had been planned earlier.

A fan, Mide Love (@mide_finegirl22), wrote, “Babe I’m seeing too much coincidence in trying to copy everything Funke does. First was the Adire for promotion then now she’s talking about tiktok collaboration, just when Funke announced her own yesterday. The timing is just somehow.”

Another fan, Tbaz (@Omoeriolu), responded, “Who’s copying who??? It’s you people that are the problem atp… Toyin has always been using Adire for her Movie promotion; no be today na so why were you people not saying FA copied?”

Some Jenifans also criticised the way Abraham unveiled her new film title while showcasing recent titles, describing the announcement style as “Funke style”.

Facebook, TikTok collaborations spark fresh comparisons

In October, Akindele’s promotional partnership with Facebook for The Four became another talking point.

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.

A fan, nddydav (@nddydav22), wrote, “If pain were a person it’s definitely you.. So because Funke Akindele partnered with Facebook, today you are doing throwback.”

Another commenter, Arabella (@Bellahush2), offered a different interpretation, writing, “Funke 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.”

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.

CNN interview debut 

When Akindele’s interview with Larry Madowo on CNN’s African Voices appeared around October 30, 2026, fans again drew comparisons between the actresses’ international media appearances.

Titans recirculated Abraham’s 2023 CNN interview. Prince Adeshina (@RealAdeshina) wrote, “In 2023, CNN Africa interviewed Toyin Abraham. Kindly watch.”

Jenifans countered by pointing to Akindele’s earlier appearances. Enit’ayanfe Ayosojumi Akinsanya (@OsumareAyomi) wrote:
“Ahh. You people won’t stop with false info?
Fra, perhaps?

“Funke Akindele got on CNN Africa in 2017 oo. Now again, 2026, on CNN Global. Nobody else that was mentioned set any trend o.

“2017 is not 2023 o. O jina si’ra won. Stop setting your mama up for unnecessary drags.”

Other Jenifans also shared clips of Akindele to argue that she had achieved international visibility years earlier.

Leaked voice note sparks fresh controversy

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

In the recording, Bisgold made insulting remarks about Akindele on the call.

The recording sparked criticism from some Jenifans, who framed it as hypocrisy and linked it to the earlier premiere incident involving the actresses.

Some Titans questioned the recording’s authenticity or context and criticised the circulation of what was described as a private conversation.

Bisgold later apologised to Abraham. Abraham did not publicly confirm that the voice in the recording was hers.

Actress Foluke Daramola’s defence of Abraham after the voice-note controversy drew sharp reactions online.

After the leaked audio, Foluke Daramola posted a defence of Toyin on Instagram saying, “Oluwatoyin. Is there anything that she can say behind ur back and she won’t 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’s the last time I called my daughter she didn’t pick I told her I was with Toyin, she called back sharp sharp. I don’t know how u do it o

@toyin_abraham but u have a wonderful spirit and I bless God for ur life. #bestieiscoming.”

Fans dragged her for “stylishly taking sides”.

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.

Iyabo Ojo’s premiere snub resurfaces

The March 29, 2026, encounter between the actresses at the premiere of Iyabo Ojo’s film, The Return of Arinzo, continues to feature in online discussions about their relationship.

A video from the event showed Abraham approaching a table where Akindele sat with Ojo and Mercy Aigbe.

While Ojo and Aigbe acknowledged Abraham, reports surrounding the video said Akindele did not visibly respond to her greeting.

The encounter prompted debate on social media, with viewers discussing the actresses’ body language and the circumstances surrounding their interaction.

Both actresses subsequently unfollowed each other on social media, further fuelling speculation about the state of their relationship.

Fans on both sides continue to debate the incident, with some defending Akindele’s response and others criticising the perceived snub.

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