Eniola Badmus and Laide Bakare's feud did not begin with the viral podcast clip of 2026. Their public disagreement stretches back at least to 2024 and has included social-media exchanges, private-message screenshots, a confrontation at a movie premiere and competing claims about their history.
Now that Eniola Badmus has apologised to Laide, it is worth going back through the timeline and separating the receipts from the allegations.
March 2024: It Started With Laide Bakare's Book-Launch Outfit
One of the clearest public chapters began after Laide Bakare's book launch in March 2024.
Laide wore a white outfit with an orange cape, which attracted attention online. Eniola Badmus joined the conversation with a comment in Yoruba asking which of her colleagues had worn an outfit resembling “Pastor Ajidara's.”
Laide did not take the comment as harmless banter.
She publicly questioned why colleagues appeared more interested in mocking her perceived mistakes than celebrating her achievements. She specifically questioned Eniola, whom she described as someone she had known since their younger years.
What is not established: Whether Eniola intended the comment as serious humiliation, harmless teasing or something in between is a matter of interpretation.
Laide questioned whether Eniola had ever genuinely celebrated her successes. Eniola subsequently gave her own version of their history, including allegations about things Laide had said privately.
Laide denied some of those accusations, including the claim that she had mocked Eniola over childlessness.
At this stage, the important point is that both women presented competing accounts of private conversations that the public cannot independently verify.
April 2025: The Feud Moves From Social Media to a Movie Premiere
The next major receipt was much harder to dismiss as simply an Instagram disagreement.
On April 13, 2025, both actresses attended the premiere of Eniola Ajao's Owambe Thieves at Circle Mall in Lekki, Lagos.
A video from the event showed Laide confronting Eniola while the two exchanged heated words. A man believed to be Eniola's bodyguard attempted to intervene.
Laide asked Eniola if she was mentally okay before Eniola walked away.
What the video does not prove: It does not independently establish everything either woman later claimed about what happened before the cameras started recording.
Following the confrontation, Laide published screenshots of private messages between herself and Eniola.
In the exchange, Eniola criticised Laide for sharing an unflattering photograph of her and accused her of “animalistic behaviour.”
Laide subsequently used the screenshots as part of her argument that the conflict was deeper than the premiere incident.
She also claimed that she had helped Eniola secure opportunities early in her career when other filmmakers were reluctant to cast her because of her weight.
That became one of the biggest claims of the entire feud.
“I Made Eniola”
During an Instagram Live, Laide said she had known Eniola for about 25 years and repeatedly claimed that she had played a major role in helping her career.
She described her support as an investment made out of genuine love and said she felt betrayed by the way Eniola subsequently treated her.
What remains unproven: Her claim that she was responsible for “making” Eniola Badmus is a personal account of their history, not an independently established fact.
April 2025: Eniola Responds Differently
Eniola eventually responded publicly, but rather than directly addressing every accusation, she posted a message about unity, peace and mutual respect.
She wrote that there was no need for jealousy because one person's success does not diminish another person's success.
It did not settle the dispute.
October 2026: One Facial Expression Reopens Everything
More than a year later, the feud resurfaced in a completely different setting.
During Eniola Badmus' appearance on Isbae U's Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, the host mentioned Laide Bakare as one of his favourite actresses.
Eniola's facial expression changed and she appeared to hiss or react negatively.
That brief moment became the latest receipt.
Laide shared the clip and accused Eniola of repeatedly trying to damage her reputation. She again invoked the support she claimed to have given Eniola earlier in her career and called her ungrateful.
Receipt: The podcast footage exists.
What it proves: Eniola reacted visibly when Laide's name was mentioned.
What it does not prove: A facial expression alone cannot establish what Eniola was thinking or why she reacted that way.
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