The Nigerian actor and singer popularly known as Tee Famous, Tobiloba Abraham, has revealed that he once blocked his family members after facing constant pressure from them to abandon his acting career.
Speaking during a recent appearance on the Talk To B podcast, Tee Famous opened up about a period of deep family tension and the difficulties he encountered in his early career.
He recalled a time when acting roles were hard to come by and financial returns were minimal, despite his determination to break into the industry. According to him, this struggle became a frequent source of conflict at home. After graduating from Yabatech, his parents and siblings expected him to use his qualification to secure a stable job.
Tee Famous said their concerns soon turned into demands. They wanted him to either take up conventional employment or start contributing money to the household.
“That is how I started acting and going for more locations. At a point, I was more of an actor, but then, you are known as an upcoming actor, you just have to keep working. People calling you for jobs would see it like they are supporting you, trying to build you. So money was not coming in, and it was so messy,” he said.
“You know, after school… I went to Yabatech, and you know, as a parent who sent their son to school, they expect that you should be using your certificate to work, and they were like okay if you do not want to use your certificate, bring money back home.
“It was not easy, different calls every day, my mum would talk, my dad, my sister too would complain about my acting career.”
He explained that things came to a head during a tense phone call with his brother. The emotional toll led him to make a drastic move immediately after the conversation.
“There was a day my brother called me, and I do not know what came over him; he was complaining so much, and I was just crying on the phone; he did not know,” he said.
“After I dropped the call, I blocked him and blocked everybody in my family. I blocked everyone except my sister who was staying in my house, who was the only person who could get in touch with me. The others could not reach me for months.”
Tee Famous, who rose to prominence in Nollywood and the Yoruba film industry, has since branched into music, releasing hit songs such as ‘Buga’, ‘Dealer’, ‘Oja’, and ‘Pepper Dem’.