‘Toyo Baby’ reveals the dark side of fame in new book
Actress turned author, Juliana Olayode, popular for her role as ‘Toyo Baby’ on Jenifa’s Diary, has revealed the downside of being in the public eye. The actress who was recently slammed for claiming she is a virgin, but later debunked it, said when she used to jump buses , people stop her on the road to take selfies with her.
She revealed that bike men who knew her, added more money to her fare because of her status. Toyo Baby shares the story in her book, titled The Rebirth.
Read the excerpts below
“Up until months back, when I still used to jump buses, several people would stop
me on the road, or in buses to take selfies with them. Sometimes, I had to beg them to
wait until we were out of the bus to take the selfie. Conductors in buses expected me to
leave my change with them the moment passengers started chanting “Toyo Baby!”
Some passengers expected me to pay their bus fares. Some called family members
and asked me speak with them, saying, “I am in the same bus with Toyo Baby! Speak with
her. Some even dared to challenge me, saying, “Aunty Toyo, with all the money you’re
making, why are you not in your own car?”
“Bike men that knew me sometimes charged me more. I lost my bargaining power
with market women because they assumed I had a lot to spend. It got so frustrating at a
time, because I had no car and had to walk sometimes. I had to wear dark glasses and a
face cap everywhere I went. But even with that, they still recognised me. I hated leaving
the house. I honestly cannot remember any place I have been to in Nigeria that no one
recognized me.
“There was a day I took a bike home and as we rode, the bike man said, “you are
Toyosi”. I replied and said I was not; I was Juliana. It was not a lie, but it was not the truth
either. The next time he picked me, he accused me of lying. I had to explain to him that
my real name was Juliana. He laughed at me and insisted I was Toyosi”.