Tiwa Savage Speaks Out on 2021 Leaked Video, Denies Deliberately Releasing It
Nigerian Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has broken her silence on the scandal that shook the entertainment world in 2021 — the leak of her private sex tape. In a recent interview with U.S radio station Hot 97 she rejected claims that she intentionally released the tape for attention or sympathy. She insisted she was a victim of blackmail and betrayal, not someone seeking relevance.
Tiwa revealed that the tape was released without her consent after she refused to pay a blackmailer’s demands. What initially was presented as an “accidental leak” later emerged as part of a wager among her ex-partner’s friends. The revelation added a deeper sting to the traumatic ordeal she endured — the betrayal came from someone she trusted.
As she reflected on the fallout, Tiwa Savage described how the public reaction worsened the pain. She said she was “bashed” not only by ordinary social-media users but by people with large platforms who accused her of using the scandal for a comeback. She pointed out that if she had planned to release the video herself, she would have done it intentionally — with proper lighting and presentation.
More painful than the shame of the leak itself was how the scandal dragged her child into it. Critics labelled her “unfit mother,” a judgment she says cut “deeper than the tape itself.” The pressure and emotional fallout forced her to grapple with not just career damage but personal pain.
Though the scandal remains a dark chapter in her life, Tiwa says she channelled her pain into her music and used therapy and support from loved ones to cope. She admitted that surviving those years, marked by grief and public shaming, felt like a rebirth.
