- The third season of Young, Famous & African has been making waves since it premiered on January 17, 2025, and has been filled with drama, emotional highs, and dramatic lows
- The Nigerian cast members, including Annie Idibia and Ini Edo, have taken centre stage in most of the drama and controversy, with intense clashes between Annie Idibia and her co-stars
- TheRadar has compiled the juicy details of the drama and emotional revelations, giving fans a closer look at the explosive conflicts and personal struggles involving the Nigerian cast that have made this season of Young, Famous & African so unforgettable
The third season of Young, Famous & African has been making waves on social media since its release on January 17, with the three Nigerian cast members at the centre of it.
This season has provided viewers with an array of emotional highs and dramatic lows, including heated arguments, heartfelt revelations, and shifting loyalties—from the cast’s heated arguments to emotional revelation about personal journeys.
Here is how the Nigerian cast members brought the drama into the reality TV show.
Annie Idibia clashed with Nadia
The recent season of the reality show ended with unresolved tensions, particularly between Annie Idibia and Nadia Nakai.
The feud ignited at Zari's wedding when Annie confronted Nadia about her decision to side with Swanky Jerry during their previous clash in season 2.
Annie expressed her hurt, feeling betrayed that Nadia had chosen sides against her. Nadia, in turn, claimed she wasn't fighting with Annie and pointed out that Annie had not communicated with her.
The argument intensified when Annie called Nadia unprintable names and questioned her motives for coming to Zari's wedding. Nadia clapped back, leading to further heated exchanges.
Later, at Kefilwe's party, Annie wanted to continue addressing their issues, but Nadia rejected the idea of pretending to be friends anymore. The conflict escalated when Annie expressed scepticism about Zari and Shakib's relationship due to their age difference. This prompted Nadia to accuse her of giving "back-headed compliments" and always having negative things to say about others.
Annie Idibia clashed with Ini Edo
Annie Idibia has been at the centre of several explosive arguments on the show. Her clash with Ini Edo was particularly slightly intense, with the two actresses going head-to-head in a heated debate.
The clash occurred when Ini tried to speak for Annie at an event that Annie, with the help of Naked, had organised. This event was meant to settle issues with other members Annie had issues with.
However, the reason for their argument remains unclear. The event ended in chaos when tensions, grudges, and egos clashed head-on, with Annie and the other cast members involved in a heated argument.
During the event, Annie's best friend, Swanky Jerry, tried to calm her down and pacify the heated argument.
While other crew members felt Annie wasn't expressive and would not apologise, the back-and-forth led to an argument.
“I don't think you should be talking about me, Ini," Annie said. "You don't know me."
"I'm just saying what I've observed, Annie," Ini replied. "You're always causing drama.”
Annie Idibia's clash with Zari
Ugandan socialite Zari Hassan confronted Nigerian actress Annie Idibia over comments relating to her marriage. Annie had made remarks about Zari's marriage with a younger man, claiming the Ugandan star had copied her wedding renewal ceremony’s decor and venue.
She stated, “Zari, you didn't tell me you were a fan, you should just have told me that you wanted a wedding that looked just exactly like mine, just that mine looked a lot more better.
“I saw the groom and I felt like he was fascinated by Zari. It is easy for him to get carried away and forget the things that are important like ‘am I ready to be father to five kids? Three of them are in my age bracket. That is a lot of baggage for a very young boy like him.”
During their confrontation, Zari criticised Annie's husband, 2Baba, stating, "Why is it your problem? Annie your man is almost 50 and he’s running around sleeping with 20-year-olds, making them pregnant," and questioned Annie's current career, saying, "The last time I checked, you were an actress 10 years ago."
Ini Edo fallout with Luis Munana
Episode 7 of the reality TV show saw Luis Munana and Ini Edo's explosive fallout.
The drama unfolded when Luis sought assistance from Shakib and Ini in interviewing potential surrogates. However, Ini expressed discomfort with the idea, citing her experience with multiple rounds of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
Luis, seemingly taken aback by Ini's reaction, confessed to the cameras that he wouldn't have invited her if he had known about her situation. The tension between the two escalated, culminating in a fiery argument that ended with Luis asking Ini to leave.
The fallout didn't end there. Ini later confided in Swanky Jerry about the disagreement, and the issue was revisited at Nadia's beach party. Swanky brought up the topic of "disrespect," prompting other cast members to inquire about who had been disrespectful. The finger was pointed at Luis, leading to a heated debate.
Shakib attempted to clarify the situation and apologised to Ini on behalf of himself and Luis. However, Ini's account of the events only added fuel to the fire, leaving fans to wonder who was truly in the wrong.
Social media is abuzz with reactions to the explosive fallout, with some fans criticising Ini's actions while others have come to her defence. As the drama continues to unfold, one thing is certain – the latest season of Young, Famous & African is packed with surprises.
Ini Edo opened up about her surrogacy journey
Amidst dramatic fallout, Ini Edo's emotional revelation about her surrogacy journey was a highlight of the season. The actress opened up about her struggles with fertility and her decision to use a surrogate during the moment when Nadia questioned her.
Nadia: “Are you married?”
Ini: “I’m not married,”
Nadia: “Are you together with the dad?”
Ini: “No I’m not.”
Nadia: “Is he still alive?”
Ini: “Well, I don’t know.”
Nadia: Girl, is he dead or not? It’s a yes or no question.”
Ini: “He’s not dead. He doesn’t have anything to do with us. We’re just two people. Just me and my child.”
During her confessional, Ini said:
“My journey is one that I have not really wanted to talk about because it’s personal.”
“I’m raising her alone,” Ini finally told her co-stars. “I went through surrogacy”.
She added:
“There was no man in my life at the time, and I wanted to have a child. There are different ways to go about that.
“I don’t think surrogacy is something people just wake up and say that’s what they want to do,” Ini said.
“I never thought I would be someone who had fertility issues. But I’ve had issues carrying pregnancies long-term.
When it looked like it was not going to happen the way I wanted it to happen and I wasn’t getting younger, I said, ‘What are the options? What is available to me?’
“And then, this option came up, so I took it.”
“And I’m very happy with my decision,”
she told her co-stars.
She further opened up about her battle with miscarriages. She added;
“I got married at the age of 26 because I thought by 31, I would have been done with childbearing and would be retired to focus on my career. But life did not pan out that way. I have had over six miscarriages. I do not like to go into it. I tried. It was not a fancy way out for me. I have always wanted to do this. I have had IVF. I know what I have dealt with as a woman.”
Swanky Jerry and Annie fixed their friendship
The friendship between Swanky Jerry and Annie Idibia has been a major part of the show, but this season, the two former friends have been at odds.
Swanky accused Annie of badmouthing him behind his back, leading to a bitter argument between the two. The fracture in their bond has been a major talking point on the show.
According to Swanky, Annie had been going behind his back and saying awful things about him. He was disappointed by finding this out. During his confessional interview, the Young, Famous & African star reflected on his bond with Annie and how their connection is no longer the same. He said: "I would always stick out my head for Annie. I've been doing that for over a decade. But right now it's like my head is falling off my neck, I'm done, anything that has to do with Annie, I can't.”
Swanky shared that he had always stood by Annie's side and defended her. They both had previously resolved the issue and put the matter in the past as Annie had apologised. According to Swanky, Annie was repeating the same things she had done in the past, which caused tension between them.
He accused Annie of starting a "smear campaign" against him. He said: "We have moved on. I have forgiven you, but we are here again. And you're doing the same thing, a smear campaign again."
Zari chimed in, stating that Annie was used to people defending her and that her behaviour towards Swanky was unfair. She also said that she was no longer interested in getting to know Annie.
Swanky continued stating, "Now she's acting on the table, 'Oh Swanky, you are going to sit and watch them talk? Because I'll always fight for her. Babe, I'm tired."
Their conversation concluded with Swanky mentioning apologising for a mistake isn't wrong, but repeating the same mistake that hurts someone is.
Episode 6 further highlights the fractured connection between Swanky and Annie as they are able to move past their differences.
They both apologised, and Swanky expressed his desire to preserve their friendship. He felt that he had invested too much in their relationship to let it go to waste.
"I'm fighting for what we shared. I don't want to feel like I wasted my life. I wasted my efforts, my emotions, my talent, my money. Just everything. It's like an investment. Annie's like an investment for me," Swanky stated.
Annie Idibia opened up about miscarriage
Annie Idibia told Quinton Masina, NAKED DJ, about her struggles during the previous season. She revealed, "You know, like, the whole of last year, even in the group, you know I wasn’t coming out enough. I was pregnant with twins. I had a miscarriage all of that time."
Annie further expressed how challenging it was to cope with the grief, revealing that only her husband, Innocent Idibia, also known as 2Baba, and her mother were aware of her situation at the time. Annie said,
"I wish I had someone in this group that I could actually go like, ‘I’m pregnant; we’re going to have a baby.’ And then, we lost that. It was hard.”
With all the drama in the show, it is clear that the Nigerian cast members have left an indelible mark with their personal struggles, emotional revelations, and explosive conflicts, which have kept viewers hooked from start to finish.
Netizens react to the drama
Following the drama and emotional roller-coaster that has been causing a lot of buzz online concerning the drama the Nigerian cast members have been bringing, netizens have expressed their concern for Annie and more reactions followed.
Here are some reactions below;
@Oyinash_ posted: “Please get Annie Idibia off Young Famous and African, it’s not healthy for her and it’s not healthy for us the viewers either.
This is insane”
@Elsie_finegal commented: “Everyone is saying she’s “the content”.
Until she runs mad on set 😭”
@amackieee posted: “I wish mental health and therapy wasn’t frowned upon in African communities because it’s evident how Annie Idibia needs cognitive behavioral therapy. She needs to leave that demon of a husband and find herself again #YoungFamousAndAfrican”
@kitsoThato commented: “i I will say — Ini singlehandedly redeemed the global perception of Nigerian women. Annie, on the other hand, had me completely baffled. When people say only Nigerian women can handle Nigerian men, they must mean they’ll endure it like Annie. But it’s clear that some Nigerian women are perfectly capable of excluding themselves entirely from that chaos. #YoungFamousAndAfrican
@NalediMOfficial posted: “Ini was unnecessarily rude to Luis. Whoah I mean ?? I get her viewpoint but her blowing up like that?”
@Jeanbrendah posted: “What Annie Idibia is going through in that Young Rich and Famous show is a perfect example of Lookism. Everyone is calling her out on her behavior when Zari and that Nadia girl are even worse. They just get a pass cause they are pretty.”
@Bighotbaby1 posted: “I absolutely love Swanky and Ini Edo’s friendship! My favorite moment was when Swanky stood up for Ini, saying Are you stupid?! Ini isn’t your mate! How dare you talk to her like that. I love that energy 👏👏 On the other hand, I don’t think Annie should return to the show. She’s bringing disrespect to 2face and doesn’t take accountability. She’s always defensive, doesn’t accept correction and it’s frustrating.”
@nk4nuella commented: “Watching S3 ep 3 of Young Famous and African, and I'm so mad at what these guys are doing to Annie. This is straight off bullying, and Swanky should be very ashamed! What a letdown. I can't wait for someone to put them all in their place. Hopefully, Ini Edo will!!!!🤞”
@comradeAtt commented: “I love Ini Edo so much but felt her reaction to the surrogacy situation with Luis was blown way out of proportion, particularly, the way she reacted to Luis in particular….
It was giving, Condescending…..”
@joelluche commented: “and ini edo is very right about this surrogacy topic
she’s very very right”
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