Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Says Nollywood Has Not Paid Her Royalties in 30 Years

Veteran actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, also known as Omo Sexy, has expressed her frustration at never getting royalties for her 30 years of work in Nollywood. She compared this with the residual payments she receives for her work in Hollywood.

Omotola shared her thoughts during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast on Friday. She talked about her experience in the American film industry, her move to the United States, and what she thinks Nollywood needs to do better.

Her comments come after she returned to acting with her film Mother’s Love, which was also her first time directing.

After some time away from the screen, she premiered the film at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025. It later debuted in Lagos on March 1, 2026, before hitting cinemas across Nigeria on March 6, 2026.

Talking about pay differences between the two industries, Omotola mentioned that she has received residual payments for the Hollywood projects she worked on, even though she spent only five years there. She said, “I’ve only worked how many jobs in LA right now? And I just came back from LA yesterday and my envelope’s like that, a pile of residuals waiting for me.”

In contrast, she pointed out, “I’ve put in 30 years here. I’ve never received an envelope.” Omotola also said no one has reached out to her to offer extra payment for the success of any film she worked on in Nigeria.

“No one has also thought, oh my God, you know, this movie did so well. I’m just going to send you a check. Just thank you,” she said.

Areas for Improvement in Nollywood

Besides payment issues, Omotola highlighted production standards, pre-production planning, and financial accountability as areas where Nollywood can learn from Hollywood. She said Nigerian filmmakers tend to be more resourceful because they spend their own money, but noted that this approach can sometimes lead to fatigue and accidents.

She believes Hollywood’s strict rules on working hours and production methods can offer useful lessons. But she also thinks both industries can learn from each other.

“We have to find the balance, you know, between taking breaks and taking excessive breaks. That’s something we do well here,” she said.

Omotola criticized what she called poor financial controls in some locally funded film projects. She pointed out that international organizations sometimes fund projects without ensuring proper procedures are followed.

She suggested that production funds should be kept in escrow instead of being given directly to producers before filming starts. “Why is that so hard for us? Like, you hear people say, oh, you know, they got money from BUI or some kind of body or stuff like that. And before the project starts, the producer, according to them, would have spent the money on this and that,” she noted.

She urged international funding organizations to make sure local productions follow good practices. “You should come into this environment and teach those standards and make sure that people understand the standards, keep to those standards, because that’s how you leave the local community better off,” she said.

Reflections on Relocating to the US

The actress also talked about her choice to move to the United States, calling it one of the best decisions she's ever made. She mentioned that she had turned down previous chances to relocate, like one in 2010 after her second album and another in 2013 after being recognized on the TIME 100 list.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic made her rethink her decision. She said she eventually talked it over with her husband, who backed her choice.

“I didn’t want to ever look back and regret that this opportunity came at least three times in my life. There’s a reason why it keeps coming back,” she shared.

Omotola added that living in the US has brought her more peace and helped her reconsider the social pressures she faced in Lagos.

“Everything. It’s how calm I am now, with my mentals. I come back to Nigeria, Lagos, and it almost seems like I didn’t grow up here,” she explained.

She described Lagos as busy, pointing out the pressure to attend events, look good, and impress others. According to her, living in California has made her less worried about public appearances and the expectations of celebrity life.

“It’s just, that’s also part of the things I unlearned,” she said.