During a press conference held in Lagos on Thursday, Nedu clarified that his exit was a personal choice rather than a forced departure, amidst rising controversy and personal criticisms.
In response to the rumors surrounding his departure, Nedu remarked, “Any conversation that surrounds ‘oh, as the guest is talking, you have to stop the guest so that the guest does not say some things,’ for me, is not professional, and I don’t do that. If you are a radio host or a TV host, you will understand that.”
He further stressed the importance of allowing guests to express their views freely on the program, stating, “You cannot use my relationship with you wherever you are to force me to shut down what any guest is saying on the show. That is also not professional. Everyone has a right to air out their opinion when they come on the show. That is why, at the beginning of the show, you will see that ‘every opinion shared is the opinion of the guest and not of the show itself’.”
Nedu also pointed out that individuals referenced during the show are entitled to respond, saying, “Everyone has a right of rebuttal. If someone says something about you, you have a right of rebuttal. You can either come on the show and say, ‘Okay, I want to rebut what this person said,’ or find a way to do it—maybe on another platform or social media.”
In light of the ongoing controversy, Nedu reaffirmed his position on public disputes, stating, “A lot of things have been going on left, right, and center, but I’m going to say this—I am not one to indulge in petty exchanges or words. That’s not who I am. It has never been my style, and it will never be my style to drag words with people on social media. I’m not going to do that.”
He clarified the circumstances surrounding his exit from The Honest Bunch, stating, “Let me now straighten up something, I was not fired from The Honest Bunch podcast. I was never fired. I decided to step away when the attacks became very personal so that the show could go on.”
According to BrandIconImage, the controversy erupted when reality TV personality and comedian Aderombi Adedayo Martin, known as Deeone, claimed on the podcast that the contentious social media commentator Martin Otse, referred to as VeryDarkMan, was gay.
In retaliation, VeryDarkMan accused Nedu of encouraging Deeone to tarnish his reputation. He further alleged that the OAP solicited sexual favors from women in exchange for acting roles and threatened to disclose the names of celebrities purportedly involved. These allegations led to additional claims that Nedu had manipulated the show's guests into making provocative remarks to boost online engagement.