Veteran Nollywood actor Jim Iyke has declared that the entertainment industry was deliberately built to promote Satanism, not the worship of God, a claim he made without pulling any punches during a recent podcast interview.
Iyke appeared on The Joey Akan Experience, where he spoke about his faith, his past, and what he now believes is the spiritual orientation of the industry that made him famous. His words landed with force.
“There is no bigger enabler than the entertainment industry. This is where demons live. Entertainment is totally orchestrated and created to extol the virtues of Satanism. Nothing in the industry glorifies God,” he said on the podcast.
Jim Iyke Challenges Nollywood’s Spiritual Direction
The actor, widely known for playing morally complex characters across decades of Nollywood film, pressed further when asked to explain himself. He did not soften the position.
“What in entertainment glorifies God except you intentionally or consciously go for him, pursue him, or find your place in him? Is it the blatant lies? What do we extol that’s Godly?” he said, while adding that he remained open to correction on the point.
Iyke later clarified that he was not denying the existence of faith-driven content in entertainment altogether. His argument, he said, was that the industry’s dominant culture points in the opposite direction.
He drew a direct connection between the entertainment world’s obsession with self-glorification and what he described as the core philosophy of Satanism, the elevation of self to godlike status, and the need to be worshipped above all else.
According to Iyke, this is not abstract theology. He said it plays out routinely in the day-to-day culture of the industry.
How Fame Distorted Jim Iyke’s Sense of Reality
Iyke turned the lens on himself. He recalled occasions when fans would break down in tears at the sight of him and admitted he once let that adulation go to his head.
“I’ve seen people cry when I walk into a room, and I look at them and think I am special. No, you’re not. Once you find your place with God, you’ll understand what is special,” he said.
He described that period as one in which fame created a distorted sense of identity. His Christian faith, he said, was what eventually corrected that distortion and gave him a more grounded understanding of himself.
The actor did not provide a specific timeline for this personal shift, and details about when he says his faith became central to his life were not elaborated upon during the portion of the interview that was made available.
The Accidental Audition That Started It All
Beyond his comments on faith and the industry’s spiritual character, Iyke also disclosed how he came into acting in the first place. The story is far from a calculated career move.
He said he was broke at the time and that he and some friends were looking for money to buy beer when word reached them about a paid audition. The plan was straightforward: show up, collect the cash, and leave.
What happened next changed the course of his life. When the lights came on and he faced the crowd waiting for him to perform, he froze. He said he did poorly. But something clicked in that moment that no amount of preparation could have triggered.
He walked out of that audition with the sudden, unshakeable conviction that acting was where he belonged, not because he had performed well, but because the experience revealed something to him about himself.
That unplanned beginning would go on to produce one of Nollywood’s most recognizable careers. For years, Iyke built his brand on roles that leaned into rebellion, danger, and moral ambiguity, the very image he now critiques from a faith-based standpoint.
The irony of a man who spent decades embodying Nollywood’s “bad boy” archetype now calling the industry a vehicle for Satanism is not lost on observers of the Nigerian film space.
Iyke has not issued any additional statement following the podcast appearance, and his management had not responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday.
