In a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Boyo addressed the persistent public assumption that her acting career was cut short due to spousal influence. She dismissed the claim as unfounded, stating firmly that the decision to leave acting was entirely hers.
“I left acting when I found out that I enjoyed producing more than acting. It was boring,” she said in the video interview published on Wednesday. “The blogs wanted it to be something like my husband banned me from it—they wanted it to be sensational, and it was not.”
Now 56, Ego Boyo first rose to prominence in the early 1990s through her iconic role in Checkmate, one of Nigeria’s most beloved television dramas of the era. The show cemented her status as one of the country’s leading actresses at a time when Nollywood was beginning to emerge as a force in African cinema.
Despite her successful stint in front of the camera, Boyo eventually transitioned into production, where she says she found deeper creative fulfilment. Over the years, she has carved out a distinct identity as a producer, known for her thoughtful storytelling and commitment to high-quality filmmaking.
Her comments come in response to years of speculation surrounding her sudden disappearance from the screen. Many fans and bloggers had long suggested that her husband’s disapproval had forced her to retire from acting—a narrative she now says was more about gossip than truth.
By setting the record straight, Boyo not only challenges the stereotypes often projected onto female creatives, but also reasserts her agency in shaping her own career path—first as an actress, then as a producer, and now as a respected figure in Nigeria’s film industry.