10/02/2026
Deacon Famous Speaks on Rift With Ekene Umenwa, Explains His Silence One Year After
One year after his public fallout with Nollywood actress and former close friend Ekene Umenwa, popular skit maker and actor Deacon Famous has shared his own account of the events that led to their disagreement and why he chose to remain silent at the time.
According to Deacon Famous, the issue unfolded during a very delicate phase of his life — his wedding preparations. He explained that he deliberately avoided responding publicly to the controversy because he wanted peace and emotional stability as he prepared for marriage.
He said his wife advised him to stay quiet, and he followed that advice to ensure his wedding period was free from distractions.
He addressed long-standing speculations involving his wife, stating clearly that she had no problem with Ekene Umenwa and was never part of the misunderstanding.
He described his wife as calm, non-confrontational, and uninterested in social media drama, emphasizing that the issue was strictly between himself and the actress.
Deacon Famous explained that the tension began after a private conversation he had with Ekene the night before the controversy became public.
According to him, during that discussion, she spoke strongly against a certain individual — widely believed online to be his former girlfriend — suggesting that the person did not have good intentions toward his wedding.
He said he became confused when, the following day, he saw Ekene publicly celebrate the same individual online with warm birthday messages. Seeking clarity, he said he reached out to her privately to ask about the contradiction.
According to Deacon Famous, rather than responding directly, Ekene shared screenshots of his message with others, including her husband and a priest. He said he was disappointed by how the situation escalated and noted that the priest he expected to be neutral appeared to align more closely with her perspective.
He added that during the height of the misunderstanding, Ekene’s mother was the only person who reached out to him in an effort to calm tensions and encourage peace between both parties.
Beyond the personal fallout, Deacon Famous also spoke about how the situation affected a professional project. He said he had developed a movie concept specifically with Ekene in mind due to their close friendship.
According to him, the project experienced several delays after her wedding.
When she eventually agreed to proceed — on the condition that filming would take place in Asaba — he said he relocated his production team and personally handled accommodation and logistics.
He later said he was informed that Ekene had accepted another production scheduled for the same period, which resulted in the project not moving forward.
Deacon Famous further revealed that they later reconciled, and that Ekene apologized while she was heavily pregnant and abroad.
Although he accepted the apology and chose to forgive her, he said the entire experience had already taken an emotional toll on him.
He also stated that during the controversy, he faced intense online backlash based on narratives he believes did not fully reflect his side of the story.
According to him, misleading impressions were circulated online, and he claimed that money was allegedly paid (by £k£n£) to bloggers to publish negative content about him — an allegation he described as his personal account of what happened.
Reflecting on their friendship, he recalled that during his proposal period, Ekene had questioned whether he truly understood the woman he intended to marry.
He said he reassured her at the time that he was confident in his decision.
A year later, Deacon Famous says he has chosen forgiveness but admits he cannot forget the emotional strain of that period, including online criticism, hostile comment sections, and attacks directed at his wife.
He concluded by explaining that his silence was intentional, not an admission of guilt, but a decision made to protect his marriage and mental well-being.
With time passed and emotions settled, he said he felt it was important to finally share his side of the story so that the public record would be balanced.
