Yemi Solade quit church 13 years ago, saying his decision was driven by his belief that worship and faith should not be confined to one day
Yemi Solade, 66-year-old veteran Nollywood actor, said on Monday, August 31, 2026, that he stopped attending church 13 years ago because he no longer felt comfortable with the idea of restricting worship and his relationship with God to a particular day.
Solade made the disclosure during a recent interview on Curiosity Made Me Ask, where he explained that his decision to quit regular church attendance should not be interpreted as a rejection of Christianity or his faith.
The veteran actor said his belief in God remains an important part of his life, even though he no longer participates in conventional church worship.
“God created me in His image. I stopped going to church 13 years ago because I was not finding it funny any longer. Though I am a child of God,” Solade said.
He questioned the emphasis placed on Sunday worship, arguing that his relationship with God does not depend on a particular day of the week.
“My life is not orchestrated towards a particular day. There is no Sunday in the Bible. Without God, I will not be alive,” he said.
Solade maintained that his faith extends beyond attendance at a physical place of worship and said he considers his relationship with God deeply personal.
“I know God too well. If you get close to me, you will know that God lives in me,” he said.
The actor’s comments offer a candid insight into a personal decision he made more than a decade ago, while also reflecting his broader view that faith should be lived beyond formal religious routines.
Solade also spoke about his approach to personal relationships, revealing that he deliberately keeps a distance from close friendships and intimate social circles.
“I do not have a friend. I do not roll with anybody, but I move with the world because God has instructed me to do that for myself,” he said.
He explained that although he feels loved by many people and reciprocates that affection, he prefers not to develop deep personal attachments.
“I am loved by a lot of people, and I love a lot of people. But I do not have intimacy with people. It is good for me,” he added.
The veteran actor further addressed the speculation that often surrounds his personality and private life.
Solade said public discussion about him was, in his view, evidence that he remained relevant in the entertainment industry, while acknowledging that much of what is said about him may not be accurate.
“You will only speculate. You have heard things about me; most of them are not true. If I am not important, people will not talk about me,” he said.
Solade has remained a recognisable figure in Nollywood across several decades, building a career that has kept him in the public eye while maintaining a notably individualistic approach to his personal choices.
His latest remarks are likely to prompt discussion about the relationship between institutional worship, personal faith and the ways public figures choose to practise their beliefs.
For Solade, leaving church attendance behind has not meant leaving God behind. Instead, he presents the decision as part of a personal understanding of faith that places his relationship with God above a fixed religious routine.
