Influencer and entrepreneur Laura Ikeji has shown support for actress Annie Idibia amidst backlash over her behavior on the reality show Young, Famous & African.
In an Instagram Story shared on Monday, Laura urged Annie’s friends who truly know her to resist joining strangers in criticising her.
Drawing from her own experience with reality television, Laura highlighted the mental toll such shows can take and encouraged maintaining love and positivity around Annie.
“If you’re Annie’s friend and you know her and know that she’s an amazing person, please do not join people who haven’t met her to kick her down,” Laura wrote.
“If she has ever been nice to you, defend her where people speak ill of her, and if you don’t want to defend her, keep mute. Reality shows will mess with your head. Let people who haven’t encountered her judge her from the show, but you—you have met her and she’s your girl—maintain that positive energy.”
Laura also emphasised loyalty adding, “U see me? In my heart, I might know you’re wrong o, but I will never kick you in front of our enemies. I don’t care about friendship, but if I know and like you, I will never kick you while you’re down, no matter how stup!d I look.”
The post comes after Annie faced criticism from Nigerians over her appearance on the Netflix reality series.
Actress Ini Edo, who also appeared in Season 3, did not publicly support Annie during an altercation with fellow cast member Nadia Nakai, the late rapper AKA’s former girlfriend. Instead, Ini adviced Annie to acknowledge her mistakes, citing the disruption Annie allegedly caused in the house.
In a poignant moment on the show, Annie revealed that she suffered a miscarriage while pregnant with twins last year. She described 2024 as a particularly difficult year and noted that her grief affected her participation in the show and public appearances.
Annie’s behavior on the show also sparked debate online, with some viewers calling on the producers to remove her from the cast.
In one viral clip, Annie was seen FaceTiming her husband 2face expressing her desire to return home. She tearfully begged him to let her leave, citing tensions with co-star Zari Hassan as a significant source of stress.
