Nigerian actress, Bisola Aiyeola sits with Chude Jideonwo, founder of Joy, Inc., on a recent episode of #WithChude, to discuss her journey to fame, her struggles as a single mum without a university degree.
On this recent episode, Bisola shares how her family lost everything and the struggle they had to go through.
“I was born in England, my mum had two stores in Lagos Island. We were living Lavida loca, and then, life hit her – her stores got burnt and she never got back on her feet. We hit rock bottom, we were living from one family member’s house to another, changing schools. It wasn’t a funny experience”.
She also shared about her waiting experience before she got into the limelight;
“It was survival that kept me going, ‘How are you going to take care of yourself without a degree, take care of your child and your mum?’. It was a very terrible space, knowing that you have so much to give but you are not being given the opportunity. And even when you see people who know what you can do, and they are like, ‘hmm… you are not quite there yet, you are not quite what we are looking for’.”
“I just knew I couldn’t give up; this was my only thing. I got into filmmaking after Project Fame. That show actually taught me so much, and my life after the show taught me so much. And I tried as much as possible not to be entitled to other people’s things. When I got out of the show, people were hailing me, but I didn’t have any job out there. It was just a talent show that was given to me to showcase that I can sing, ‘and what are you showing people, why should anybody put money on you’, she added.
Bisola Aiyeola also shared about her relationship with her late baby daddy;
“We got engaged after the show, but when our daughter was two years old, we ‘disengaged’. We just had a lot of differences, he used to be a sweet-loving boyfriend, and he wasn’t a sweet-loving boyfriend anymore. Things weren’t going easy for both of us. I tried to hold on to the relationship, but it just wasn’t working for us.”
She also shared about her relationship with her daughter;
“My daughter is my number one inspiration, I want to give her everything I didn’t have. I want to make very comfortable, and she makes me so proud. She is my friend”.
Speaking about not getting a college degree, she shared, “Till date, I still feel funny about it. I still feel like I missed out on a major part of life. I am in a gathering, and people are talking, ‘oh you remember this lecturer…’ and I absolutely have nothing to say and I kind of feel left out I really wish I did pass through the four walls of the university. I love experiencing things for myself. I really wished I experienced that, so I do feel some type of way. I feel like I am probably brave enough because I see some of my friends who have one, two or three degrees and they are back to learning a skill to provide for themselves and their families. I am okay talking about it now because God has blessed me.”
Watch the excerpts from the interview here.
#WithChude is a network of media products across TV, Film and podcasts telling stories that enable and strengthen the mind, the heart, and the spirit. The weekly interviews are widely syndicated across terrestrial television and social media platforms reaching an average of 8 million people weekly – positioning it as the most watched and most syndicated weekly talk show (digital + traditional) in the region. It has become a safe space for guests to talk about things publicly for the first time. Actor Joke Silva revealed that her husband Olu Jacobs was dealing with dementia with Lewy body for the first time on the show, and producer Kemi Afolabi opened up about her experience dealing with Lupus on #WithChude. That month, Lupus and Kemi Afolabi were among the top Google Nigeria searches. The interviews have been featured everywhere, from the BBC to the New York Times. The documentary and travelogue series #ChudeExplains has tackled issues from criminal justice reform to Gen Z coming of age. The show launches the #WithChude Global series in 2023.
All past and new episodes of #WithChude can be watched at watch.withchude.com. You can also watch the premiere of new episodes every Saturday on Channels TV at 1 pm, with reruns every Sunday on Wazobia TV Channel 98 at 5 pm, and every Tuesday on Rave Tv at 5 pm.
An extended play podcast is up on listen.withchude.com, as well as on Apple Premium.
