Photo Credit: Yemi Solade / Pulse Nigeria
Why Yemi Solade Stopped Going to Church 13 Years Ago — And Why He Says He Never Left God

At 66, veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has revealed that he has not attended church in 13 years, but insists his faith in God remains unshaken.

Speaking on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, Solade said he walked away from organized religion because he was no longer finding fulfillment in it.
“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,” he said.
Solade stressed that his relationship with God should not be tied to Sunday worship, noting that “there is no Sunday in the Bible”.

His decision traces back to a disagreement in 2013. While speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast in 2025, the actor recalled being told by his former church to tell producers not to call him for jobs on Sundays because the day was meant for worship.

For Solade, whose livelihood depended on acting, the instruction was impractical. He disclosed that he cursed the pastor at the time.
“I’d been told in the church that I should tell producers not to call me for work on Sundays. And I cursed the pastor,” he recalled.
According to him, the same acting jobs he was asked to turn down were what paid his bills and enabled him to contribute financially to the church. The fallout became a turning point, and staying away eventually brought him peace.

Beyond religion, Solade also opened up about his social life, saying he has no close friends by choice.
“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 while he is loved by many and loves many in return, he avoids intimacy with people — a stance that has earned him a reputation as “complex” among colleagues over the past 30 years.

The one exception is his marriage to fellow actress Hannah Marsh. Solade met Hannah on the set of Wale Adenuga’s Super Story. After his first marriage ended, they began a relationship and got married in 2003. In 2024, they celebrated 21 years together with a vow renewal.

He describes marriage as a life contract built on friendship and credits Hannah’s patience and sacrifice for sustaining their union.

For Solade, leaving the church building did not mean leaving God — and keeping his distance from crowds does not mean living without deep connection.
Source: Pulse Nigeria