How dicey is public opinion?: Revisiting Kate Henshaw’s tweet (Opinion)

We have placed celebrities on such a high pedestal that we forget that they are also very human. They, on the other hand, also forget that they are judged differently than non celebrities and can’t say certain things.

Nigerian veteran actress Kate Henshaw has found herself in the hot seat of social media because of her recent post on X. Why? Because she stated that a lady has set herself up to be used for rituals because of her choice to date a “yahoo boy” over a working man, and people are not having it.

Every other week, we see celebrities get dragged to filth because they shared their opinion on a topic like others have, but it’s not well received. In October, it was Jade Osiberu. And just last week, it was Fathia Williams (formerly Faithia Balogun) because of a movie that she is producing. This week, it’s Kate Henshaw.

It all began on October 31, 2024. The actress commented on the video of the young girl, which had gone viral, saying, "Na so dem go take pieces you for ritual...Yeye mindset”, and it all went downhill from there.

She has since been accused of insensitivity, victim shaming, as well as justifying femicide, which is the murder of women. Hundreds and thousands of people have slammed her left and right because of how she chose to air her views on the subject matter, and some others have come to her defence.

The backlash she is facing immediately got me thinking about how easy it is to be misconstrued on social media, especially as a celebrity because, let's face it, they don’t have the same liberties regular people do. Airing opinions on the internet is subject to different interpretations on a normal day. But as a celebrity, people have opinions of you and would expect you not to say certain things that are deemed controversial, making it a dicey situation.

Kate Henshaw’s post could have easily been seen as a warning to the lady in the video if it wasn’t poorly worded. It was left subject to ridicule because she wrote it in Pidgin English, which made it come off harsher than she might have meant it.

The way she wrote it gave off the same vibe as telling a sex worker, “Na so dem go rape you,” as a justification for the atrocity if it were to happen, or telling a rape victim, “You wore a short skirt, so you were asking for it.”

Even though getting used for money rituals could happen when dating a Yahoo boy (and does happen), it’s not a given, and it’s certainly not justified. Her wording, which could have been well intended, gave off the sentiment that she was ridiculing the young girl.

Kate Henshaw did not budge on her stance [X/K8tehenshaw]

There are some people with the opinion that Kate Henshaw didn’t say anything that hasn’t already been said by non-famous people, and this is true. People’s mothers and fathers have definitely said the same thing she said, and probably in the same manner, but they won’t be dragged in this same magnitude.

The reason she is facing all this heat is because people expect differently from her. Why? Because she’s a celebrity. Like I’ve said before, celebrities wield significant influence over public opinion. Recognising this power means understanding the responsibility that comes with it, including the potential consequences of their statements.

Being a celebrity means your livelihood is entirely dependent on how the public perceives you and your brand. And if they withdraw their support, you’re at risk of “falling off.”

This issue, no doubt, serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of public commentary and the fickle nature of public opinion for celebrities.

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