Seasoned filmmaker, Jaiye Kuti has said that love is not all that is needed to keep a marriage.
The Nation reported that the actress recently said 85% of women want to exit their marriages.
According to her, she tried to leave her marriage thrice.
However, in an interview with Saturday Beats, the actress reiterated that marriage is not a bed of roses, stressing that the only way to handle challenges in marriage is through understanding and forgiveness.
The actress further advised the young people to understand that they would not get 100 percent happiness, love or romance in marriage, adding that challenges are bound to happen irrespective of one’s religion.
She said: “I actually wanted people to know that marriage is not a bed of roses. I want women to know that understanding has 150 per cent to do in the success of every marriage because love is not enough. Yes, you need to love one another. But, there will be a time when you will look at each other, and wonder how you got married in the first place.
“That is the point where understanding comes in. Both spouses will have to understand that everybody is human, and are prone to mistakes. If the parties involved are not ready to forgive each other, they won’t be able to sustain the marriage.
“What if your husband cheats? Even men who don’t cheat could have other issues. I have been married for over 20 years. If I add the period of our courtship, that will be 25 years. My husband actually sponsored my education at the University of Lagos before we got married in 2000.
“There is nothing like Jesus will not let my marriage be like that. It (marriage) has been ordained to have those challenges, whether one likes it or not, and whether one is a Christian, Muslim or even atheist. Marriages usually have challenges, and one just has to take it that way.”
Expanding on her perspective, she asserted that men, in contrast, often find it seemingly effortless to end a marriage, driven by their self-serving inclination to engage in infidelity.
She said: “If you ask a hundred women, 85% wants to exit their marriage. I even tried to leave like thrice. The issue is when you marry someone from a different tradition and when a man wants to get married, he would treat and pamper a woman well but the second marriage and children are involved, everyone will start to show their true colours. Also, men can be egocentric in nature; and also can’t be stopped from cheating.”
Jaiye Kuti’s new film, Scarred has made its debut on Prime Video.
Directed by Tope Alake, and co-produced by Adeleye Fabusoro, Scarred features popular Nollywood stars including Jenifer Obodo, Jaiye Kuti, Tina Mba, Mofe Duncan, Enem Ufot, Baaj Adebule, and Chinoso Arubayi, among others.
The feature film narrates a poignant tale of triumph over adversity as powered by Resq promotions.
Scarred; tells the gripping story of a young woman marked by a childhood accident, which left her face partially burned, leading to a life marked by rejection and societal scrutiny. The film sheds light on the challenges faced by the protagonist as she grapples with rejection, humiliation, and ridicule throughout her life due to the lasting effects of the childhood accident. Despite her brilliance and beauty, the profound scarring becomes a barrier to securing a decent job, inflicting deep emotional wounds.
Popular Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti, has refuted claims that she mocked veteran actors who sought financial assistance on social media.
The Nation reported that in 2023, the movie star made headlines over comments about the series of Yoruba Nollywood veterans coming online to beg, stressing that they were giving the movie industry a bad name, which generated controversy at the time.
However, Jaiye Kuti, in an interview with Legit, noted that her statements were taken out of context.
She commended the veteran stars for paving the way for young movie stars in the film industry, insisting she would never ridicule or speak down on them.
According to her, she was only advocating for the need to have a purse for insurance to care for Nollywood stars during their old age.
She said: “Actually, what I was trying to achieve at the time was for our industry to have a purse for insurance. Our elders have been there; they started this job and helped lay the foundation of what many of us enjoy today, and for that reason, I would never ridicule them or speak down on them. I was only clamouring for insurance to take care of them in their old age.
“Social media can be an evil, bad place, especially those useless, faceless pages. Trolls can make your life unbearable, forgetting that we are also humans. During that saga, some evil people on social media were out to destroy me.”
Actress Jaiye Kuti widely known as Jayeola Monje has sent a public message to her junior, senior colleagues to warn Jigan Babaoja to refrain from bullying her.
During the weekend, Jayeola publicly called out Jigan while sharing a video of her publicly embarrassing the actor at an event.
Now taking to her Instagram page, she sent a message to Adeniyi Johnson, Seyi Edun, and Bimbo Oshin, urging them to warn Jigan seriously while urging whoever loves the actor should advise him before she breaks his leg.
She wrote: “Happy Sunday my lovelies Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly… Abeg, if you truly like or love @jiganbabaoja and you don’t want me to br@k€ the other leg…warn him to stop bullying me behind the camera…else I’ll come for him anywhere I see him.
“Make I tag people wey bring am come Akure first make dem warn am seriously @adeniyijohnson @i_am_shai @bimbooshin”.
Actres Jayeola Monje aka Jaiye Kuti has basked in joy as she announced her son’s graduation from Afe Babalola University after bagging a Law degree.
Sharing the good news on her Instagram on Sunday, she expressed pride in joining other proud parents and esteemed guests at her son’s graduation ceremony.
For her, she is proudly embracing her new identity as “Mummy Lawyer”, as it represents the sacrifices made, the unbreakable bond between her and her son, and the unwavering belief in the power of dreams.
She said witnessing her son’s transformation into a lawyer fills her with overwhelming emotions.
“Today, my heart overflowed with joy as I saw my beloved son achieve his dream of becoming a lawyer. I am incredibly grateful to God for giving me the chance to witness his convocation ceremony at Afe Babalola University’s Faculty of Law.
“Surrounded by proud parents and esteemed guests across the world, the presence of dignitaries like His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Arole Oduduwa, and other revered Royal fathers across Nigeria, added grandeur to the event. Seeing my son’s accomplishments in front of such esteemed guests fills me with immense pride.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to those who joined me on this journey, overcoming the distance with their unwavering love and support. Their dedication truly demonstrates the strength of our bond and the joy that comes from standing by each other’s side.
“Today, with a heart full of love and hope, I proudly embrace my new identity as a “Mummy Lawyer”. It represents the sacrifices made, the unbreakable bond between a mother and child, and the unwavering belief in the power of dreams.
“Witnessing my son’s transformation into a lawyer fills me with overwhelming emotions. I know that this moment is not just the result of my son’s hard work, but also a testament to the divine grace that guided him through challenges and filled his path with hope.
“I pray that God will guide all children whose parents have enrolled them in schools, that they will witness their children’s day of joy, and that their efforts will not be in vain,” she wrote.
To celebrate her birthday, actress Jaiye Kuti has flooded her timeline with photos showing her in different looks.
Captioning one of the pictures, the actress wrote: “Let no one take thy joy, everyone is wonderfully made by God. You’re super, Appreciate yourself pursue your dreams, be focused, be determined, don’t be distracted. God has a way of putting us all in our positions. Don’t rent out your space to hate, rent it out to love… I LOVE YOU ALL.”
She also reposted a post from @kazeemadegboyegakola who referred to the actress as a fish without a hiding place.
“All these years, she has been dazzling our movie screens with her charming smile and captivating presence. She sure has the whole package of skills to put on a fantastic performance in any huge franchise — well, this definitely sounds like the recipe for success. When you’re one of the most beautiful and recognized actresses in Nollywood, it’s never easy to hide away from the media. But when you’re @jayeola_monje , that’s certainly a Mission Impossible.”
“Jaiyeola Okuwakemi kuti is one of the most prominent faces in Yoruba movie circles at the moment with lots of awards and prominent roles under her belt. She is not only a gorgeous woman with killer physique , but she has a lovely personality. Often acting the role of a stern woman or scheming mother, she is known for her forceful and intense style. I am talking of the one that gained a reputation with a grand style that always provides encouragement and illustration to future generations of aspiring actors.
Jaiye Kuti is a household name in Nollywood with various movies and awards to her credit. In this interview with ADENIYI ADEWOYIN, the cross-over actress speaks about her career and how she manages her family. Excerpts
The first time I called you, I remember you said you were on your way to pick your kids at school. Ordinarily, one would think you have house helps to do that for you. Could it be that you don’t trust house helps with your kids?
Well, luckily for me, I have a mother that is very energetic. I had to go and bring her to the house because leaving her back in the village is not worth it. I have a mother that is just in her 60s. I know that the school is not far from home and I know that she can stay and actually do the things that I would do. I don’t really encourage house helps and sometimes I feel bad about them.
But most of the things I will do in my house, I employ people do to them for me, like cleaning, because I have a big house. I pay people like every weekend to just clean, and mop everything. Then the rest of the job are very simple things to do – just to cook and wash plate and I can clean my room myself and of course take care of the house. My children are growing; they can take care of the room. So you have to train them too.
Are you saying it’s not actually because some house helps might be dangerous?
No it’s not because they can do anything. That does not even come to mind but I just know that for me I don’t want to raise strangers. That is just the way I want to run my own affair. I want my mum to raise my kids because she’s not busy where she was and she is better doing it than somebody who is a total stranger.
How do you balance work and home being a very busy person who is not always around?
You are not in my house so you can’t tell if I am not always around. I came from home to this place.
But each time I called, you were either at one movie location or somewhere else working…
That’s because you always call when I am shooting. It’s quite tough and I must confess that is it not easy to manage because there are times that I stay on location for a whole month so you can see that reason why I said that my mum has been a great help and thank God I have a man that quite understands.
Are you saying your mum cooks for your husband while you are away and he is comfortable with it?
No, my husband is not a child and my mother cannot look after my husband. Instead, my husband looks after everyone because my mum is aged. But for food, we know how to arrange that.
I saw your latest movie Oro Mi (My Wealth) and I thought it should have made it to the cinema because of its story line; how did you come about the story?
Actually, a woman told me the story of herself and I would say that I just tried to put like 40% of what she told me in the movie. Every day, people would say there is nothing new under heaven but my brother; there are things that I have seen that I had not seen before. Look at that story, she had three kids and they actually wanted to kill her. God just made it in a way that she didn’t die because if she had died, you won’t even know that those children are not these people’s children. So I have not seen anything like that and they didn’t even know that she’s also from a rich background. But you know, when you are kidnapped you cannot help yourself in anyway. Although there is a little bit of fiction but that is how the story goes.
Jaiye Kuti
How has the feedback been since the release?
When it was first released, I was supposed to get a complimentary copy but I didn’t which means it sold out. It’s a very successful job and very successful in terms of returns to me.
In terms of returns, I don’t know how the home video market operates but are you guys making as much money as the cinema movies?
No, definitely we are not. Some movies are actually not making money in the cinema; people will just go and say what is this and with all the noise you will just find out that the movie is not interesting.
Are you considering the cinema in the nearest future?
I have three movies shot after Oro mi and Olori Amolegbe. Then I have two that I want to do again and one of it has to go to the cinema. The movie is actually epic and it is something that talks so much about our culture. Such a movie will take a lot of money because of all the costume which also includes the Igbos because we want to show our beautiful culture. We have beautiful cultures that we don’t even need to wait for people to come and celebrate with us but because of the ways and manners that we do them, it is otherwise. Imagine when they say they are doing Odun Sopona but as a Christian I won’t go for such, likewise Muslims. And it is not that some of these things that we have are not beautiful like the Osun Osogbo that they do but the ways and manners we have attached it to Orisa and voodoo, nobody will come and celebrate it with you.
This is how much we have sold ourselves; we have so much dumped ourselves into the bin that it is only God that can help us out.
Having started your acting career with soap opera down to home videos; which one pays more?
For me it is the soap opera that pays more.
How?
When I do movies in a month I know how much I realize and I compare it to what the soap opera will give me in a month. If I make one million in a month with soap opera, I am likely to make about 600/700 thousand in home video.
You sound like you are not affected by movie piracy…
I have never been affected by it… I don’t know oh , dem no dey pirate me. My first job, Ewon Laafin, was screened at cinema Odeon in Italy. So, when I came I had been able to make some money before I released it into the market. So when pirates were stealing or eating it, I didn’t know, same as when I made my other movies. So I don’t know if they are stealing or not because it didn’t affect my budget of how much I want to collect from my marketer. But of course, there’s no way it won’t affect you because where you are supposed to make more money, you are making less.
For someone like you who is well doing in her marriage; what do you think could be the cause of some celebrity marriage breakups?
For me, it is God’s grace that has kept mine because it is not easy for us as artistes, especially females, to stay in a man’s house. When you love this job and you are asked to pick between your husband and this job you will say it is this job oh! This job has a demon in it that once you are in love with it you can’t leave it. It would give you so much joy that you will think your husband cannot live up to give you that happiness. But as for me I will say that I am just lucky because if I am to be asked now if I can leave this job for my family, ah, I will beg my husband oh! Don’t even say it because I won’t know how to leave this job honestly.
Are you saying you can leave your family for the job?
I am not saying I will leave my family for the job but I am telling you how devilish, how so passionate you can get with this job that it would come in between two people and you will not be able to make a choice.
Do you kiss in movies?
Yes now but not tongue to tongue or French kiss. Do you want to send me out of my husband’s house? Let me tell you something, if I should do a tongue to tongue with anybody, it would be with someone I can have an affair with naturally because I won’t even kiss you if you are not up-to the standard of somebody I can date. But I won’t do a tongue to tongue kiss because I have my own rules and regulations.
The Rector of Lagos State Polytechnic, (LASPOTECH) Samuel Sogunro has announced two Nollywood actors; Olanrewaju Olakanlu of Mr. and Mrs. Kogberegbe television series and Jaiye Kuti as Ambassadors, for the polytechnic.
The announcement as stated was made during a visit by the duo to his office recently to rejoice with him on his birthday.
Sogunro also commended Olakanlu for remembering his Alma mata and deeming it fit to give back.
Also speaking at the event, popular Yoruba actress, Jaiye Kuti, advised the students not to lose their inner beauty; “it is what you have inside of you that will make you stand out”.
CREATIVE Village Productions, producers of Mr & Mrs Kogberegbe on African Magic Yoruba, have announced new additions to the long-running TV series.
Actors added to the romantic Yoruba comedy are Toyin Adegbola, Jaiye Kuti, Helen Paul, Doris Simeon, Regina Chukwu, Bayo Bankole (Alinco), Abdullateef Adedeji, Mistura Asunramu Alao and Awelewa Omoibadan.
The new development comes as the third season of the production progress on its weekly show on AfricanMagic Yoruba.
Speaking on the new development, Adebukola Olanrewaju Olakanlu, Executive Producer of the sitcom revealed that Mr & Mrs Kogberegbe is now also showing on African Cable (ACTV) Satellite platform.
“We just signed a deal to begin airing on Ibile Channel on ACTV. What this means is that more people will have access to the quality entertainment content that we provide through Mr & Mrs Kogberegbe TV Series,” he said.
The series also received a boost following its endorsement by veteran Yoruba actress, Toyin Adegbola also known as Ashewo to re Mecca. The recently appointed member of the board of Osun State Arts and Culture Council who is joining the cast of the series has confessed that she is a big fan of the programme and does not miss watching any edition on African Magic.
“It was a big encouragement getting commendation from a veteran like Mama ToyinAdegbola. We are looking to bring in something more freshness and dynamism to the homes and hearts of our viewers. Since we debuted with the third season some months ago, our feedback channels like Kogberegbe Family on Facebook have been bombarded with positive messages from fans and celebrity colleagues from different part of the world including Lagos, America and London to mention but few,” Olakanlu added.
The US-based producer who just completed certifications from the London TV & Film School added that new injections into the programme would be witnessed in different departments such as casting, scripting and technology.
