Bolaji ogunmola considers quitting social media after on-screen kiss backlash

Nollywood actress Bolaji Ogunmola has suggested she may step back from social media after facing criticism over a kissing scene in her new film, The Bloom After.

The backlash started on Tuesday after an X user with the handle “I hate lies” reacted to Ogunmola’s on-screen chemistry with actor Daniel Etim-Effiong in a post that was later deleted.

“The kissing scenes with Daniel are too much; it’s looking like you guys are an item,” the user wrote.

“Why didn’t you kiss the first guy, Anthony, in the movie? Remember that was how Yul and Judy started. Feelings can develop. You guys should tone it down.”

Ogunmola responded, insisting people should stop projecting personal assumptions onto professional performances.

“You are an absolute retard!!” she began. “You watched to tweet stupidity, and it shows. What is the entire film about, you nitwit!! You want to reduce my entire work to kissing?”

She also denied any off-screen closeness with Effiong.

“What foolish item? We don’t even talk outside of work! You think because you lack boundaries and have no respect for yourself, everyone acts and carries themselves like that, you absolute fool”.

She later widened her point to online behaviour generally.

“Your opinion about things is a direct representation of who you are and what you stand for,” she wrote. “Things I have learned: so many people aren’t professionals, and people lack strong boundaries.”

Ogunmola urged viewers to focus on the central theme of the film rather than a single moment.

“The Bloom After isn’t just another romance film. It’s about a woman finding herself after giving everything to a cause she believed in… Please share the film with them and remind them they are worthy,” she added.

She also hinted that she may stop engaging directly on social platforms.

“It’s like I’ll get a social media manager and just stop using these apps. So I can focus on what really matters.., The work!!! All these opinions and comments🥲😅😅😅.. we are human beings as well ,” she added.

Earlier debate over Summer Rain scene

Ogunmola and Effiong previously trended in November 2025 over a viral kissing scene in the film Summer Rain.

The online conversation, which started as praise for their chemistry, later shifted into debates about marriage, boundaries and professionalism in Nollywood.

Reacting at the time, Ogunmola said the scene was necessary for the story and not done for publicity.

“Sigh. Honestly, the whole dragging is okay if people understand and maybe even watch the film. You clearly just want to have an opinion on something you have no knowledge about. As an actor, when a scene carries emotional weight, you must deliver it sincerely. That’s what storytelling is all about.

“Before shooting the scene, the production team ensured proper preparation and consent. Workshops and rehearsals were done to handle the moment with care and maturity. Bolaji noted that Nollywood is evolving in how it handles romantic scenes. We can tell powerful love stories while still maintaining professional boundaries”, Ogunmola said.

She also challenged critics who demanded explanations from the cast.

“The fact that you still don’t understand that we want more people to watch it so we will continue to post about it. Do you think anyone is that important to explain to? Are you our family members?”

Etim Effiong on romantic roles

Daniel Etim-Effiong has also addressed publicreactions to intimate scenes in an earlier interview, saying he often prays before such scenes and believes the industry leans too heavily on one form of intimacy.

He said, “I believe that work is an expression of worship. When God made Adam, He placed him in the garden and instructed him to tend it; that act of obedience became his expression of worship. In my reality, my family is my garden, then my work; so it all becomes purposeful to me. The fact that I play a lot of romantic roles in the industry means I sometimes have to perform kissing scenes. I guess people feel it has become a bit too frequent, but the question should be directed to the producers: why is affection and intimacy often expressed in just one way?

“There are several other ways to show it. In most Nollywood scripts, you open a page and see, ‘they kiss passionately’. It’s done deliberately because that’s what sells, that’s what the audience wants. It’s simply a matter of demand and supply. However, I think the braver thing to do is to explore other forms of intimacy and find new ways to express affection. That, to me, is the way forward.”