By now, you may have seen the viral video of Toyin Abraham being shunned by Funke Akindele as she went round the table to greet others during the premiere of Iyabo Ojo’s movie, The Rise of Arinzo.
While many people are choosing sides, some saying Funke Akindele was wrong for not acknowledging the greeting and is no saint, others are saying Toyin Abraham should have kept the same energy in public if she doesn’t like her. In a highly competitive entertainment industry, feuds are common. 
For them, it all started with issues regarding the box office, as each tried to claim the title of “Titan of Nigerian Cinema.” They both frequently release movies at the same time, and the competition often moves from friendly to fiery quite quickly.
The Likely Cause of the Rift Between Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham
In 2021, Iyabo Ojo accused Funke Akindele of paying the movie blog Cinema Pointer to give bad reviews of Toyin Abraham’s movie, The Ghost and the Tout Too. She said, “How much did Funke pay you to write this rubbish? The day she begins to find ways not to talk badly about her colleagues or try to discredit their hard work or personality is the day she will have inner peace. You are only pretending to be a good person on social media… Toyin’s hard work and movie will succeed at the box office.”
Interestingly, Iyabo Ojo and Funke Akindele have since made up. Funke was even seated at “Table 1” while Toyin Abraham was not, even though Toyin was very active during Iyabo’s daughter Priscilla’s wedding. But then again, Iyabo Ojo is not the primary person of interest here.
Many people have also noticed how cold Funke’s tone can be towards Toyin Abraham. Previously, Toyin posted a photo of herself and Funke together, with a caption essentially saying there was no “war” between them and that they were both working hard to grow the industry. She praised Funke’s hard work and expressed respect for her as a colleague. Funke Akindele’s response in the comment section was simply: “All the best, Toyin.”
The Kunle Afolayan Factor
The latest issue involved Kunle Afolayan criticising filmmakers who use dancing to promote movies. He said no one cares about storytelling or depth anymore, focusing only on “TikTok dances” for box office success.
Funke Akindele was reportedly very angry. She went on a rant on Snapchat, saying, “I’m not the one hindering your progress. Do not allow jealousy to burn you,” and even called him on phone to berate him. Meanwhile, Toyin Abraham was seen under his posts laughing, stating she agreed with him, and even created a skit that supported his stance.
Furthermore, in December 2025, Toyin accused cinemas of colluding with certain filmmakers to show only their movies—a slight many believed was directed at Funke Akindele’s movie Behind the Scenes, which was performing exceptionally well.
“If We Are Not Friends, Why Are You Greeting Me?”
At the recent premiere of Iyabo Ojo’s movie, Toyin knelt to greet everyone at the table, including Funke, but Funke publicly ignored her. This set tongues wagging online. In a now-deleted post, Toyin said, “I have unfollowed her; God forbid a bad thing. If I greet her again, it means I am a bastard.” At this point, the online feud has only intensified.
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