Every two market days the internet never fails to witness a celebrity call-out — for family dramas, industry fights or fan grievances.
One would wonder whether being called out is an effective way to hold celebrities accountable to their words, actions and responsibilities.
Afrobeats singer Asake was recently at the forefront of a celebrity call-out after his father Fatai Odunsi alleged his irresponsibility as a son.
While this is the first time celebrity' call out has rocked social media, it poses a curiosity on whether or not celebrity callouts as reoccurring controversy are necessary.
Other notable celebrity call-outs and controversies
The accessibility of social media is one that has created a neutral space for both celebrities, families and fans to interact.
So, it is not surprising to see either of them tag a person and call them out on social media especially if they are unable to reach them offline.
One of the notable celebrity controversies (call out) that rocked the entertainment space was the second separation of the music duo P-Square.
Their incessant fight and hurling of insults dashed the hopes of fans who looked forward to them coming together.
Another celebrity family that never fails to use any opportunities to call each other out on social media is the Mohbad family.
Since the death of the singer born Ilerioluwa Aloba, his family drama is one that always springs up on social media as the circumstances surrounding his death linger.
Former Big Brother Naija housemate Phyna is also on this list. From her father calling her out to the reality star dropping her surname, the callouts sparked controversy.
The double edge sword of celebrity call-outs
The idea of “speak out so that the world can hear you,” is arguably something I believe spurs most of the celebrity callouts.
If I have a fight with a colleague, the best place to settle it is on social media. If my family is giving me a hard time, I should call them out on social media. If I feel threatened I should call out who is behind it without fear.
Honestly, I get it. I just sometimes wonder if efforts were really made behind the scenes before coming out on social media.
The place of privacy is one that continues to fizzle out on social media, especially for celebrities. Who says everyone has to know everything about you as a celebrity?
Controversy as I examined in an earlier opinion piece is a currency that sells in the entertainment industry. It has become so bad that it is hard to take celebrities seriously these days.
Where there is a call-out—there is every tendency to believe that it is either a PR stunt or the truth. 60% of the time, fans realise that it is a tactic to promote entertainment content. So, at what point do people take them seriously?
I remember when former BBN winner Laycon called out DJ Neptune for not remitting his royalties for their collaborative track Nobody. Fans stood up for him to drag DJ Neptune for his actions. A few days later, it was glaring that it was a PR stunt.
Celebrity callouts are indeed a double-edged sword, while it is a prevalent tactic in the Nigerian entertainment space, it is also sharper than we think.
Conclusion
Are celebrity callouts necessary? I’ll say Yes and No. If a call-out is on the basis of a confirmed threat to life it counts. However, for the numerous callouts, we wake up to realise it has no basis but just to evoke drama, no.
The danger of the incessant baseless call out is that it hinders fans to decipher which is real or fake. Most times, they might not be wrong to think it is fake. After all, controversy is the ‘soul’ of the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Idris Elba controversy: A reminder that Nollywood needs ‘whale’ investments
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier wrote an opinion exploring how the controversial takes that erupted because of Idris Elba’s move to play Okonkwo in the Things Fall Apart adaptation series.
The piece opined that the argument, despite being valid, shouldn't be about who should or not play Okonkwo. It should be about how to make Nollywood financially buoyant to make ‘expensive’ book adaptations.
