- Media personality Chude Jideonwo said he was at the lowest point of his life when he watched one of Oprah Winfrey’s interviews
- Chude explained that he was going through depression in 2016 when he watched the programme that later transformed his life for good
- He replicated Oprah’s concept with his talk show, With Chude, in 2020 and is celebrating five years of its success with a live show
Media personality Chude Jideonwo is known for getting the best out of his interviewees with his now-famous programme, With Chude.
After the success of his talk show, with a massive virtual audience following, Chude decided to take his celebrity interviews a notch higher with his new concept, With Chude Live.
TheTalk.NG interviewed the interviewer, Chude, who revealed that he cut his teeth in journalism by joining the Press Club as a secondary school student at Mayflower School, Ikenne.
The media entrepreneur and storyteller who recently turned 40 revealed how he came up with the idea of his new talk show, With Chude Live.
Chude Jideonwo speaks on how Oprah Winfrey helped him fight depression. Photo: @chudeity, @oprahSource: Instagram
“In 2020, while watching Oprah Winfrey’s Vision 2022, where she had interviewed Michelle Obama, The Rock, Lady Gaga, and others. I thought to myself, I want to do something like this. But if people have observed my work in the past eight years, they will know I waited until I felt like it was time. In January or February 2024, I was coming from Badagry, and I just thought, it’s time to do this concert.”
As soon as he was convinced that it was time to take his talk show to a new level, Chude did not just relax but went to work on his guest list. He said his live show will be in three stages with one-on-one interview sessions with Pastor Jerry, Funke Akindele, Falz the Bad Guy, Bovi, and Chimamanda.
“My main stage guests were confirmed in March 2024. I confirmed with Pastor Jerry Eze, Funke Akindele, because they’re busy people. I confirmed Bovi, too.”
After the interview session, he revealed there would be two panel sessions.
Two panels, not around particular themes or their sector, but around life issues. There are two major life issues we think people are dealing with, and we think these people can speak about them.”
“Why people need to tell their stories” – Chude
The media personality who was once listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 explained reasons he believes people should speak up:
“There are two major reasons. One, Nigerians have too many taboo topics; we have all kinds of cultures of shame and silence. That’s why we don’t replicate success. We don’t even replicate change because we don’t tell other people how we did it. When asked, we say it was grace. But what is grace? Grace has steps.”
Speaking further, Chude, who interviewed late Mohbad’s wife, said:
“As a culture, we are not vulnerable, but we need to be. And that is important because people’s lives are changed more by stories than by data. I can come and give you all the data, but if I tell you a story, it becomes real. The number of people going through divorce, single parenthood, who have dealt with different forms of abuse and sent us emails is staggering. And sometimes you see them in the comment section saying, ‘Because of this story, I’m going to take this action.’ It’s automatic. A story changes your life immediately.”
“Oprah Winfrey and Brené Brown’s interview was the turning point in my life” – Chude Jideonwo. Photo: @chudeity, @oprahSource: Instagram
“Oprah & Brené Brown changed my life” – Chude
Citing a personal experience on how stories change people’s lives, Chude said
“A story changed my life. I founded With Chude because I watched an interview between Oprah and Brené Brown, and it was just something I was also dealing with. After that, I said, “You know what, I want to do a show like this for Africa. At Red Media Africa, which I co-founded, when we launched, we said stories matter more than technology. Technology can enable, but it is stories that people use to make big decisions in their lives. When we tell vulnerable stories, it means we’re telling the truth. The truth changes people’s lives.”
Will you also share your own story?
“Yes, I am. But it’s not going to be on a panel. My book, How Depression Saved My Life, is coming out soon, and Narrative Landscape, Chimamanda’s publisher, will publish it. The part of my story I’m telling is how dealing with depression in 2016 led to me starting my show in 2020.”
The people who changed my life are the likes of Oprah, Iyanla Vanzant, all these people. Why should I be looking outside Nigeria for mental and emotional inspiration when we have people here? I’m on an ambitious mission to transform Africa’s media into an emotional and mental safe space. That’s what I’m trying to do, one story at a time.
Every dream has a mission. Chude shares his mission with his talk show. He spoke passionately about his dream for his programme.
“I want to contribute to transforming Nigeria’s culture into a safe space for mental and emotional health; that’s what I want. One of the things I like about my show going viral is that people see that you don’t have to be a bully as an interviewer. You don’t need gossip to go viral; it is important. Someone who has been depressed, who hasn’t left the house in a week. Another’s husband has beaten her black and blue. She doesn’t know where to turn. She’s in a messy divorce, her church has removed her from leadership. People are going through a lot, we have mental health issues here.”
Ayo Adesanya shares her abusive marriage with Chude
TheTalk.NG reported that in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, Nollywood actress Ayo Adesanya spoke about her past abusive marriage and why she is not yet married.
Adesanya shared how she covered bruises on her face while wearing glasses, and people thought she was fashionable.
The movie star explained that she attempted to leave the house thrice, but succeeded on her fourth attempt. She claimed she escaped from the house in the middle of the night.
Source: TheTalk.NG
