Popular media personality Ifedayo Olarinde, widely known as Daddy Freeze, has opened up about the serious backlash he faced after challenging the actions of Nigerian Christian clerics. Speaking on a recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast—where he now serves as co-host following comedian Nedu’s departure—Daddy Freeze revealed that his outspoken views once put his life, and that of his family, at risk.
According to him, his criticism of religious leaders led to a wave of persecution, including death threats that extended beyond him to his loved ones.
“If there’s anyone who has truly faced persecution from Nigerian pastors and their followers, it’s me,” he said. “They called me all sorts of names. I received death threats, and those threats even reached my family. That was about 10 years ago. But what I did back then helped pave the way for others to start holding the church accountable today.”
Daddy Freeze also recounted how his personal experience with the church following his divorce triggered his journey into deeper scriptural study and public critique.
“After my divorce, my pastor tried to get me and my ex-wife back together, but I wasn’t interested. As a result, I was excommunicated—I was no longer allowed to serve in church or even sit in the front row. I felt judged and rejected. Meanwhile, Jesus didn’t condemn the woman at the well, who had been married five times and was living with a sixth man. I had just one divorce, yet my church treated me like I had committed murder.”
He explained that this rejection led him to stop attending church altogether and instead begin studying the scriptures in their original languages.
“I went deep into biblical study, and I can tell you—spend a year doing that, and no Nigerian pastor will make sense to you anymore. It’s simply impossible.”
Daddy Freeze is widely known for his controversial stance against the excesses of religious leaders in Nigeria and for spearheading a movement that calls for accountability within the church.
