Celebrity interviews are interesting for many reasons. You get a glimpse of their personal lives, and sometimes, they get to do the most ridiculous things on camera—like Skales answering JAMB questions on Zikoko Pop. But things can spiral really quickly when the interviewer crosses lines. Remember Omawumi’s legendary mic drop on live TV in 2016? Yeah, that’s the kind of unscripted drama we live for.
The music powerhouse isn’t the only celeb who’s had jaws on the floor because of her reaction to an interview not going her way. We looked and found other celebrity interviews that went from “Tell us about your new album” to “Did you just?”
Davido and the BBC
Baba Imade is a celebrity favourite among many media houses. Interviewers don’t need to do too much to get him divulging industry inside gist. He’s also the only one among the big three (Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy) who consistently addresses the friction between them. However, even OBO has his limits. In 2022, a BBC journalist posed the question, “Do you ever see a record happening with Burna, Wiz and Davido?” His response? “Ask them when you see them.” Man was tired.
Omawumi and HFtv
Interviewers know to tread carefully with Omawumi all thanks to her epic moment with HFtv Africa in 2016. During a sit-down, a journalist from the media house asked the singer to address rumours about her smoking and drinking habits as a mother. Visibly irritated by the question, Omawumi gave the journalist a good dressing down before she walked out of the interview set.
Sean Tizzle and TheNetng
Imagine asking a music star at the peak of his career about using Carowhite or Miss Fair and White. God, abeg. This was the case with Sean Tizzle and a presenter from TheNETng in 2016. The interview seemed to be going well until the presenter asked if Sean Tizzle could confirm or deny rumours that he had a thing for lightening his skin colour. He wasn’t having it: “Do you think it makes sense that you’re asking me if I bleach my skin?” Sean Tizzle asked the host. A few more words were exchanged, then Sean put up the middle finger and stormed out of the interview.
Skales and TheNetng
During a studio sit-down interview with TheNetng, the host expressed his unfettered opinion about Skales’ 2017 single, Body Language. He told the singer to his face that the track wasn’t a “genius song”. Skales maintained that it was fine for both individuals to hold their opinions of the song. However, things got heated and Skales said that the host had no right to make a statement like that in the first place. He walked out of the interview, stating that he didn’t consent to the episode being released.
Burna Boy and Vice
The Grammy-winning singer isn’t a big fan of interviews — even one with his mum and grandfather. Burna had X on fire in 2020 after a clip from his interview with Vice for a documentary series surfaced online. The Vice journalist asked his mum and grandpa questions about their time with the late Fela Kuti, but Odogwu wasn’t having any of that. Burna stood up mid-interview, saying, “This interview is too boring,” an action that gagged the journalist and his family members so bad.
Burna Boy at the 2023 Met Gala
The self-styled African Giant had one of the most talked-about red carpet moments at the 2023 Met Gala. Burna had all the time to grant interviews to foreign press, but when Kachi Offiah, the only Nigerian journalist who made it to the event, called out to him, he politely declined with a widespread smile on his face. “Sorry, I have to go,” Burna said, even though the journalist had screamed “Odogwu” at the top of her voice.
Ilebaye and Charles Born
The Gen Z baddie got tongues rolling weeks after she emerged as winner of the BBN Naija All-Stars season. Ilebaye was billed for an interview with Glitch Africa’s presenter, Charles Born, but she took off after he kept her waiting. “Gen Z baddie waited for few minutes whilst we were filming with Pere and Adekunle, and drove off, saying we kept her waiting. In her words, “How dare you keep me waiting?” Celebrity of yesterday? LOL. Truly Money doesn’t buy class. Yuck!” Born wrote on IG. Ilebaye returned to state that she was hungry and had other appointments.
Meanwhile, we caught up with Reminisce some weeks ago and he talked about everything from his music to what keeps him going.
Read here: “People Still Like Me This Much?” — Reminisce Celebrates Fan Response to “Alaye Toh Se Gogo”
