Why AY and I Grew Apart - Bovi

While promoting his movie, My Village People, Nigerian star comedian Bovi stopped at Channels Television to do an episode of Rubbin’ Minds with Ebuka. During that interview, Ebuka used the opportunity to finally ask Bovi about his reportedly estranged relationship with fellow comedian AY.

Ebuka asked the questions slyly by first asking about his relationships with comedians in general before hitting the nail on the head and asking about AY directly. From Bovi’s answers especially about his relationship with some comedians and then what he says about AY, I’ll just like you to take a look, read in between the lines, and at the end, I think you’ll understand what happened and what caused them to ‘grow apart’ as Bovi said. Here’s what Bovi said about the whole thing.

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The interview started out with Ebuka asking Bovi:

“One narrative I always see is how united the Nigerian comedy industry is especially you guys who have been in the game for quite a bit. As against other sects of entertainment, you guys seem to have each other’s backs, this person does a show, this person shows up, all of that. But I’ve also seen conversations about that being a myth where there is actual competition where you guys don’t necessarily like each other and this is just a space where on the face of it, it looks a certain way but behind the scenes, there is a lot of headbutting. Is that true?”

To which Bovi replied:

I don’t know. Personally, I don’t think everybody can like each other but I don’t also think they hate each other. It’s a tricky situation. As regards the shows, I’ve got a lot of flack in that regard because in the beginning I used to do everybody’s show and they used to be like ‘Oh Bovi, when is your show so we can come support.’ No, I want to do it the way it’s internationally accepted. Yes, doing a Nite of a Thousand Laughs, I’m willing to be on that platform. But it got to a point where I can’t be on a show that runs by a comedian’s name and everybody else is featuring then you the comedian you come on your own show and you’re not telling jokes, you’re just MCing and bringing everybody to perform. Then we go home and you make all the money. Then you take that content, put it online or sell it and you make all the money. So I’m like both ways it doesn’t favor who is on the show. I want to do a show and have a command performance. That’s like my own version of an album. I dn’t want to be 15 minutes here, 10 minutes here, 20 minutes here just on rotation like that. I think it affects growth of my brand you know? Then when you grow to a certain stage and you know you can fill up a venue on your own and somebody is telling you, ‘Oh come and do ten minutes on my show’. There comes a time where you grow to that you really can’t be doing that anymore so that’s what it is.

Then Ebuka said:

“You said you can’t be friends with everybody but you also can’t be enemies. So will you say you’re cool with every comedian you know?”

To which Bovi responded:

Most of them.

Then Ebuka asked:

“So there are some that you’re not cool with it?”

To which Bovi replied:

Absolutely. If you want me to keep it real, absolutely. And not because of anything but if you have a way you operate and it’s not in sync with the way I operate. If your style offends my spirit, I’ll just stay away. I’m sure there are people who don’t like me and that’s cool by me but even in the church there’s friction.

Then, Ebuka went for the nail on the head and asked straight-up:

“There’s a lot of stories about you and AY and your relationship – how it started and where it is now to a point where people believe you guys are not in talking terms. How did it get there?”

To which Bovi responded:

I think we just grew apart. This question caught me unawares, I think we grew apart. I like to do my own thing my own way and if your style is different from my style, then we just grow apart. But we’re cool. When I see him, I say what’s up.

I didn’t even know that Bovi and AY were not really close friends. I genuinely thought all the people in comedy just got along and had lunch and dinner at each other’s houses. Wow, the things we really don't know about these celebrities.

That’s All.

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