Nigerian comedian and actor Ayo Makun, also known as AY, has spoken publicly about his strained relationship with his colleague Bright Okpocha, also known as Basketmouth. The two comedians, who were once close friends, reportedly had a falling out in 2010, though the details have never been revealed.
In a recent interview, AY described how he was embarrassed and humiliated at Basketmouth’s wedding when he was refused entry because his name was not on the guest list, despite the fact that his wife’s name was.
“Do you know that I attended Basketmouth’s wedding when all these things were going on at the time. I was at the wedding, they looked at the list of guests, wife’s name was on the list, my name no dey list. I wasn’t qualified to enter the wedding.
“I was looking at my wife, my wife dey look her husband and she was like okay. Let’s be going home since you no qualify to enter”.
According to AY, this was just one of many instances where he felt excluded from events because of Basketmouth’s influence.
Despite the tension between them, AY says he never gave up on their friendship and would attend events where Basketmouth was present.
However, he claimed that his name would often be removed from event listings if Basketmouth was in attendance.
“It’s so bad that sometimes, my name will be removed from an event: If AY is in, I’m not in’. Basket will be at an event, maybe AY is on the Bill, he won’t introduce me if he’s the MC. I will just go and pick my mic on the floor and go and do my thing. It was that bad.
“But I never gave up. Every opportunity maybe the wife gives birth, I’d go with my own wife or maybe something is going on. I kept doing everything.
“AY also revealed that he had tried to reconcile with his friend on several occasions, but Basketmouth’s response was always the same: “I’m a beast. I don’t forgive.”
“So we got talking. So I said to my friend, ‘You see God has blessed us. You have a house in Lekki, I have a house. You have a child. I have a child, God has blessed us. This thing that happened in 2006 guy drop am.”
“And my dear colleague looked at me eye ball to eye ball and said: I’m a beast. I don’t forgive “.