Nigerian singer Speed Darlington has stirred widespread reactions online after making controversial remarks about obesity, appearance and financial success in a viral video.
In the clip, the entertainer argued that overweight people face discrimination and claimed they are unlikely to become billionaires, comments that have drawn mixed reactions across social media.
According to the singer, physical appearance plays a significant role in how people are treated, as he claimed society often favours people it considers attractive while treating obese individuals unfairly.
Speaking on discrimination, Speed Darlington said obesity could affect opportunities in daily life, including employment.
“No rich is for fat people. If you are fat, you can never be rich in this life. No be mean, no be joke, I’m telling you the truth,” he said.
Using a personal example, the singer further claimed he would not employ an overweight person for certain jobs.
“I won’t hire you, you can’t braid my hair. I don’t care how African you are, you can’t braid my hair because I got to worry about all that weight on my head. All that fatness on my head. So I’m not going to give you work,” he said.
Speed Darlington also argued that appearance can influence success, insisting that society is more accepting of people it views as attractive.
“The world is for beautiful people, it’s not for ugly people,” he said.
Expanding on his views, the singer claimed obese people often struggle with fashion and presentation.
“If you obese, nothing you wear fits you well. So your dress code is sloppy. This means you’re always in sweatpants, all the time,” he said.
He ended with another controversial statement, saying, “If we don’t like you, we won’t favour you. If you huge, you are not going to be a billionaire. Guaranteed. The world is not nice to fat people.”