Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Says She Hasn't Received Nollywood Royalties in 30 Years

Veteran actress and filmmaker, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, also known as Omo Sexy, has shared her disappointment about not getting any royalties for her 30 years in Nollywood. She compared this to the residual payments she gets for her work in Hollywood.

Omotola spoke about this during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast on Friday. She talked about her experiences in the American film industry, her move to the United States, and what she believes Nollywood should improve on.

Her comments come a few months after she returned to acting with her film Mother's Love, which also marked her first time directing.

She premiered the film at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025. It later premiered in Lagos on March 1, 2026, before hitting cinemas across the country on March 6, 2026.

While discussing the pay differences between the two industries, Omotola mentioned that she has received residual payments from her Hollywood jobs, even though she only worked there for five years. 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 noted, "I’ve put in 30 years here. I’ve never received an envelope."

Omotola also expressed that no one has ever approached her to offer any extra payment as a thank-you for a successful film she worked on in Nigeria. She said, "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."

Beyond payments, she highlighted that Nollywood needs to improve its production standards, planning, and financial accountability. She explained that Nigerian filmmakers are often careful with their production costs because they use their own money. But, she pointed out that this can lead to stress and accidents during shooting.

According to her, Hollywood's strict rules about working hours and production processes offer important lessons. She believes both industries can learn from each other. She said, "We have to find the balance, you know, between taking breaks and taking excessive breaks. That’s something we do well here."

Omotola also criticized the lack of proper financial controls in some locally funded film projects. She pointed out that international organizations sometimes give money without making sure proper procedures are followed.

She said, "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 urged international funding organizations to ensure that local productions stick to established standards. She said, "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."

Omotola also reflected on her decision to move to the United States, calling it one of her best choices. She explained that she had turned down chances to relocate before, including one in 2010 after her second album and another in 2013, after being recognized on the TIME 100 list.

The COVID-19 pandemic made her rethink this decision. She discussed it with her husband, who supported her choice. She said, "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."

Living in the U.S. has given her a sense of calm and helped her reassess the pressures she felt in Lagos. She said, "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 described Lagos as busy and mentioned 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 that come with being a celebrity.

She said, "It’s just, that’s also part of the things I unlearned."