Funke Akindele-Bello

Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele (born 24 August 1977) popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa, is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress, director, producer, politician, and realtor. She starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002 and in 2009 won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Jenifa, which brought her to fame. Akindele reprised the role in the 2011 sequel The Return of Jenifa and the 2015 soft reboot television series titled Jenifa's Diary, for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards. She is the second director to gross over a billion naira at the box office and the highest-grossing director in Nigerian box office with a total gross of over ₦4.7 billion.

In 2022, she was nominated by the People's Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, as the running mate for the 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election.

During the World AIDS Day commemoration in December 2024, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) appointed her as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Nigeria, a role focused on promoting HIV prevention and awareness across the country.

Early life and education Akindele was born on 24 August 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. She is a Yoruba woman. She is the second of four children (three girls and one boy). Her mother was a medical doctor, while her father was a retired school principal. She attended Grace Children's School, Gbagada, Lagos State. She obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in mass communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She earned a law degree from the University of Lagos.

Career

Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. She played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student. Akindele's big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the film Jenifa.

In 2010, she starred in the two-part gangster film Omo Ghetto, a cult-classic that influenced Yoruba pop-culture. She has produced and starred in several successful Yoruba films, establishing her as a household name in the region.

In 2013, Akindele expanded her career into English-language Nollywood films, earning wider recognition across Nigeria.

In an interview in July 2016, Akindele stated she was acting less in the Yoruba film industry at that time because of piracy. Akindele played the lead character in the TV show Jenifa's Diary, alongside Fisayo Ajisola, Falz, Juliana Olayode, and Aderounmu Adejumoke. The show was a soft reboot of the film Jenifa. a spin-off from her popular TV series, Jenifa's Diary. She was the former CEO of Scene One Film Production.

She made her cinematic directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film, Your Excellency.

Alongside Daniel K. Daniel and Blessing Egbe, Akindele was invited to join the 2022 membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, popularly known as the Oscars, as a voting member.

In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter named her among the most influential women in international film.

Akindele is often compared to American actress Taraji P. Henson. This comparison recently stirred up reactions after Nigerian content creator and actor Enioluwa Adeoluwa spoke against the comparisons between the two actresses.

In late 2025, Funke Akindele’s film *Behind The Scenes* became one of the fastest-grossing Nigerian movies of the year, surpassing ₦1 billion at the box office, in what was described as a milestone for contemporary Nollywood films.

Discussing the work behind Behind The Scenes, during a conversation with media personality Morayo Afolabi-Brown at a Wema Bank International Women's Day event, Akindele said she gave up her social life for almost two years, avoiding parties and public outings while she focused on the film, a period of isolation that led some colleagues to call her a "sadist" before they understood what she was building. In a separate interview with BellaNaija, she said she had similarly neglected her personal grooming and social engagements throughout production, adding that the film's commercial success followed sustained overwork, sleepless nights, and personal sacrifice. The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) subsequently honoured Akindele in recognition of her record-breaking box office achievements.

Political career Akindele was nominated as the Lagos deputy governorship candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections. Justifying her nomination, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran noted that the actress added more value to his candidacy in the 2023 general elections. The actress confirmed her deputy governorship candidacy and stated that her acting career must be "necessarily put on hold".

Charity initiative Akindele established a non-governmental organization, the Jenifa Foundation, which aims to provide young people with vocational skills.

Endorsements Akindele has endorsement deals. These include being a signed Ambassador to Dettol and Irokotv. In 2018, she was signed as a brand ambassador for Keystone Bank. In November 2019, she signed an endorsement deal with WAW Nigeria, a company that manufactures washing detergent and bar soap.

Personal life On 26 May 2012, Akindele married Adeola Kehinde Oloyede. The couple divorced in July 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. Akindele married Nigerian rapper JJC Skillz in London in May 2016. Her pregnancy rumours were among the top-searched results on the Google search engine in August 2017. JJC Skillz announced the end of their marriage, which lasted six years, via his official Instagram handle on June 30, 2022. Akindele gave birth to twin boys in December 2018 and has several step-children.

In April 2020, Akindele was arrested along with JJC Skillz, her husband at that time and charged for having a birthday party for her husband during a mandated lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. She later appeared in a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control video to raise awareness about the virus Akindele and her husband were sentenced to a 14-day community service after pleading guilty to violating the lockdown order.

Accolades

In 2025, her film Behind The Scenes became the highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time, breaking the record of Everybody Loves Jenifa.

Akindele has the most wins at award shows such as AMVCA and Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

She also produced and directed the five highest-grossing Nollywood films of all time: Behind The Scenes, Everybody Loves Jenifa, ''A Tribe Called Judah, Tinuke Olowoporoku Directors Funke Akindele and Isioma Osaje Behind The Scenes Adetutu Fernandez Co-directed by Tunde Olaoye

The Return of Arinzo Directed by Iyabo Ojo Where Is Mr Right? Madam Janet Tunde Olaoye

Television Year Title Role Notes 1998–2004 I Need To Know Bisi 2004 Super Story: Campus Babes Pat 2009 Family Ties: Friends Forever Shade 2014 Screen Divas Herself2015–2022 Jenifa's Diary Jenifa 2017–2019 IndustreetFrancesca 2018–2023 My Siblings and I Vivian Aberuagba 2019–2026 Aiyetoro Town Jenifa 2021 Jenifa on Lockdown Jenifa 2022 Far From Home Patricia Bello 2023 She Must Be Obeyed She/Siyanbola Adewole

Music videos

Awards and nominations