Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Ayebo, famously known as Yemi My Lover, has opened up about his struggles, making a heartfelt appeal for support to rebuild his life.
In a revealing interview with Mr Lil Gaga on YouTube, the Yoruba movie star, best known for his 1993 hit film Yemi My Lover, shared how things fell apart despite the movie’s widespread success.
Yemi recounted how piracy and industry politics crushed what should have been a breakthrough moment in his career.
“I wrote and produced the movie in 1993. The movie cut across Nigeria, especially in the Yoruba-speaking part of the country. But I didn’t make money from it because 90% of the money was gotten by piracy.”
He spoke with pain about the absence of social media at the time, which left him unable to promote his work effectively. His attempt to market the film independently, he said, backfired badly.
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“I didn’t make a profit from the film because there was no social media, so, I don’t have the opportunity to promote it widely. As a result of this, the movie was pirated, and the marketers waged war against me for handling the marketing myself. It was distributed illegally, and people made profit from it.”
That one decision, he believes, triggered a downward spiral.
“That marked the beginning of my problems. I’m broke right now. The industry is about connections, I need more connections to get back on my feet.”
Yemi also accused movie marketers of “waging war” against him and appealed directly to his colleagues for help, admitting he no longer receives acting roles because he lacks the right network.
Despite being a household name, the actor’s current reality is far from the success story many associate with his name.