Former Big Brother Naija Level Up winner Phyna found herself at the centre of a heated online conversation this week after a video of her allegedly working at a restaurant surfaced on social media, and her response to the backlash has people talking even more.
The clip, filmed by a streamer named Davrel, showed the reality star appearing to serve customers at the establishment. Phyna visibly noticed the camera on her and questioned why she was being recorded. Before long, the video had spread across timelines, and the comments began.
But Phyna was not about to sit quietly.
In a candid response that many Nigerians clearly were not expecting, she addressed the situation head-on and did so without a single apology.
"What is wrong if I am actually working as a salesgirl or as a waitress at a restaurant? Why the bashing online?" she fired back.
She went further, pulling back the curtain on a reality that many former reality stars quietly deal with but rarely admit publicly. The endorsement deals have dried up. The influencing opportunities are not what they used to be, and life after the spotlight is a lot less glamorous than people assume.
"Things are no longer as easy as they used to be. What would you have me do when brands no longer want people to influence for them, and maybe I cannot secure a 9-5 job, and even if I can, the pay is not okay?" she said.
It was the kind of raw honesty social media rarely gets from celebrities — and the reactions were split right down the middle. Many people rushed to her defence, praising her for choosing dignity over deception, others were less kind.
One person wrote, "Honestly, there's dignity in honest work. Well done, Phyna." Another added, "This is why many celebrities end up depressed trying to maintain appearances online."
The pressure to keep up a flawless image online has broken more than a few people who won big on TV and then had to quietly figure out what comes next.
Phyna is clearly not pretending. And whether people respect that or not, that takes courage.
Phyna slams fans trolling her for working at a restaurant as a waitress, saying that despite winning ₦100 million and getting lots of endorsements in the past, things are no longer working out, so she decided to earn an honest living. pic.twitter.com/41KSsytQWv
— Mc Madness🪲 (@badboyozzy) May 22, 2026