Tiwa Savage: Sex Tape Leaked as Part of Ex-Boyfriend’s ‘Bet’

Four years after an intimate private video featuring her went viral across social media platforms, Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has disclosed a shocking new detail: the infamous leak in 2021 was allegedly part of “a bet” made by her then-boyfriend. The Nigerian songstress shared the revelation during her latest candid interview on the American radio show, The Breakfast Club, setting the record straight on an incident that caused significant trauma and public controversy.

The “Queen of Afrobeats” revealed that while her partner at the time initially claimed he had mistakenly pressed sent while trying to save the video, the true motive was far more malicious. “I actually did that with my boyfriend. He said he accidentally pressed sent when he was trying to save it. But I later found out that it was a bet with his friends,” Savage explained to the show’s hosts. This revelation casts the entire episode in a new light, shifting the context from an accidental digital misstep to an act of calculated betrayal and revenge porn.

This recent disclosure adds another layer to the painful experience that first gripped the public in October 2021. At the time, the singer had courageously appeared on another American radio show, Power 105.1 with Angie Martinez, to disclose that she was being blackmailed over the video. She took a firm and defiant stand, refusing to pay the blackmailer’s ransom, declaring at the time that she would not allow anyone to extort her for doing something “natural”. Her refusal led directly to the video’s eventual circulation, subjecting her to widespread victim-blaming and criticism.

During the new interview on The Breakfast Club, Savage also addressed the enduring public assumption that she might have orchestrated the leak as a publicity stunt to revive her career. The singer vehemently dismissed this notion, stating, “They thought I did it for PR… And I’m like, guys, trust me, if I wanted to do that, I would have had better lighting.” She also emotionally detailed the profound impact of the scandal, particularly the public’s cruel attacks that targeted her role as a mother, stating that the criticism involving her son hurt her more than the actual video.

The entire ordeal, coupled with the loss of her father around the same period, had been described by the multiple award-winning artist in previous interviews as the “lowest point” of her career. The trauma was so severe that some songs she wrote reflecting on the experience remain too difficult for her to perform live. Now, with the unmasking of the leak as an alleged act of betrayal for a bet, the focus shifts back to the lack of consent and the criminal nature of sharing private images without permission. Savage noted that attempts to legally pursue the case ultimately failed due to the emotional toll and the desire to move on from the traumatic episode, a feeling she has managed by embracing therapy and a period of celibacy.

The singer, who has channeled the trauma into her artistic work and sought therapy, stands firm in her decision to own the narrative despite the profound emotional cost. The unmasking of the leak as an alleged act of betrayal for a bet reinforces the disturbing nature of revenge porn, highlighting the personal violation Savage endured.