Behind the Fame – African A-List
A long-form interview show where veteran Nigerian actors share unfiltered stories of poverty, betrayal, and resilience from the Yoruba film industry.
This is a confessional-style interview podcast focusing almost exclusively on veteran actors from Nigeria's Yoruba film industry (Nollywood). The host specializes in getting her guests to open up about their "untold stories"—financial struggles despite fame, personal betrayals, on-set accidents, and the origins of their stage names. The conversations, often in Yoruba with English subtitles, are less about celebrating success and more about excavating the painful journey to get there.
“Unlike many celebrity interviews focused on current projects, this show digs deep into the past, specifically targeting hardship and controversy. The unique signature of the host serving a meal from a traditional tagine pot creates a disarmingly intimate, confessional atmosphere for the guests.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by an energetic female interviewer, 'Behind the Fame – African A-List' is a YouTube show that conducts deep-dive, personal interviews with veteran actors from Nigeria's Yoruba film industry. The host creates an intimate, confessional atmosphere—often by sharing a traditional meal with her guests—to explore their career origins, financial hardships, and industry controversies. The conversations are primarily in Yoruba or a Yoruba-English mix, focusing on the painful and resilient stories behind the guests' public personas.
What kind of podcast
- Country
- Nigeria
- Region
- africa
When new episodes drop
- 01A Ja N'bada Says It All: My Wife, Two Wives, Poverty & FameJun 27, 2026 · 1h 18m
- 02They Said a Woman Separated Me and MC Oluomo... Here's the TruthJun 21, 2026 · 11 min
- 03AKIN OLAIYA: I Was Famous But BrokeJun 20, 2026 · 1h 44m
- 04Baba Elesho Opens Up on Losing His Wife, Adelove & 40 Years in NollywoodJun 13, 2026 · 1h 16m
- 05People Thought I Was A Real Criminal Because Of My Movies – LagataJun 11, 2026 · 7 min
- 06
- 07The Dark Side of Nollywood: I Starved For Days & Nobody Helped Me — LagataJun 6, 2026 · 1h 47m
- 08My Lover Was Snatched Away While I Was Fighting For My Life — OjopagogoMay 30, 2026 · 1h 19m
Notable episodes
- 01AKIN OLAIYA: I Was Famous But Broke
The actor recounts surviving a kidnapping with his family and being attacked by a large mob, illustrating the severe dangers he faced off-screen.
- 02A Ja N'bada Says It All: My Wife, Two Wives, Poverty & Fame
The guest emotionally recounts a deep betrayal by a close friend of 20 years and reveals he once worked as a commercial motorcycle rider to survive.
- 03They Said a Woman Separated Me and MC Oluomo... Here's the Truth
A guest, Akin Olaiya, directly addresses long-standing rumors about his relationship with influential transport union leader MC Oluomo, clarifying misconceptions about their friendship and alleged conflicts.
What you'll be asked on this show
The host typically opens with a warm, celebratory introduction before transitioning to direct questions about the guest's past. She specializes in bringing up specific rumors or known hardships for the guest to address ("They said a woman separated you...", "Were there times you were financially down?"). She probes for deeper detail with pointed follow-ups ("What caused it?", "Which of the betrayal experiences hurt you the most?") and often asks guests to reflect on painful experiences that ultimately made them stronger. The interview feels like a combination of a therapy session and a historical chronicle, frequently covering the origins of stage names and pivotal life lessons.
The show is led by a solo female host who conducts long-form conversations primarily in Yoruba (with English subtitles). She builds rapport through an expressive, humorous style and a signature segment where she serves the guest a meal, which they often eat during the interview. This creates a relaxed environment for direct, probing questions about sensitive personal and professional topics.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
10 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
2- Q.01
“How did you get into the industry?”
This question is often used early in the conversation to establish the guest's career origin story.
- Q.02
“How did you get your stage name?”
Often asked later in the interview to uncover the story behind the actor's public persona.
money
1- Q.01
“Were there times you were financially down, even as a famous actor?”
The host asks this directly to explore the common theme of financial struggle despite public success.
personal
2- Q.01
“Can you share some painful experiences that made you stronger?”
A key question used to elicit stories of resilience and overcoming past hardships.
- Q.02
“Was it you who didn't trust them, or did they not trust you?”
A probing follow-up used to clarify the source of conflict in a soured relationship.
controversy
3- Q.01
“Has a friend ever betrayed you in the industry?”
This question opens the door to discussing industry conflict and personal betrayal.
- Q.02
“Has anyone ever spoken wrongly about you, almost ruining your career?”
A direct question to surface experiences with slander and its professional impact.
- Q.03
“They said [a specific rumor]... what is the truth?”
The host directly confronts specific, often public, rumors to allow the guest to confirm or deny them.
industry
1- Q.01
“Is there a problem in the industry that no one is talking about?”
This invites the veteran guest to offer their perspective on systemic issues within Nollywood.
mindset
1- Q.01
“Did you ever think of quitting acting?”
The host asks this to gauge the guest's commitment to their craft in the face of challenges.
Signature segments
- · Serving guests a meal from a traditional tagine pot during the interview
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The guests are almost exclusively established or veteran actors from the Yoruba-language Nigerian film industry, often those with long, dramatic careers and a willingness to discuss past struggles.
- Ojo 'Ajanbadan'on A Ja N'bada Says It All: My Wife, Two Wives, Poverty & Fame
- Akin Olaiyaon AKIN OLAIYA: I Was Famous But Broke
- Baba Eleshoon Baba Elesho Opens Up on Losing His Wife, Adelove & 40 Years in Nollywood
- Lagata (Olushola Akintunde)on The Dark Side of Nollywood: I Starved For Days & Nobody Helped Me — Lagata
- Ojopagogoon My Lover Was Snatched Away While I Was Fighting For My Life — Ojopagogo
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The reviewed episodes do not feature explicit sponsors or ad reads, suggesting the show is likely self-funded or monetized primarily through YouTube's platform revenue.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
People also ask
- Who is the host of Behind the Fame – African A-List?
- The show is hosted by a female interviewer who is not publicly named in the episodes or channel metadata.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a long-form, one-on-one interview show, primarily with veteran actors from the Yoruba film industry. A signature feature is the host serving the guest a meal during the conversation.
- What language is the podcast in?
- The interviews are conducted in a mix of Yoruba and English, and the YouTube videos typically include English subtitles.
- Is the show still active?
- Yes, based on recent episode release dates, the show publishes new interviews frequently, often on a weekly basis.
- Where can I watch Behind the Fame – African A-List?
- The full video interviews are available on the 'Behind the Fame – African A-List' YouTube channel.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · medium confidence
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