Lagos, Nigeria – October 17, 2025 – Nollywood heartthrob Kunle Remi has landed in hot water after turning heads—and stomachs—at the glitzy premiere of Daniel Etim-Effiong’s psychological thriller The Herd, where he proudly paraded what appeared to be his wife Tiwi’s red underwear as a quirky stand-in for her absence, igniting a firestorm of backlash over boundaries, consent, and what’s “too much” in the name of marital flex.
The 37-year-old actor, fresh off his role in the suspense-packed film that drew A-listers like Etim-Effiong, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, and Tosin Adeyemi to IMAX Lekki on Thursday night, arrived solo but armed with a “gift” from his wife of nearly two years. In a video that’s now racked up over 300,000 views on Instagram, Remi unpacked a lunch bag on the red carpet, revealing breakfast treats, chips, and—cue the collective gasp—a lacy red pant. “Your wife could not be present physically, so she gave you a piece of herself,” he captioned the clip, grinning as he tucked the item into his suit pocket like a pocket square and even wiped his face with it mid-interview. A follow-up post reminisced, “Randomly remembering how I started my morning,” blending the premiere footage with domestic snippets that blurred the line between cute couple goals and cringe-worthy overshare.
Remi, who married Tiwi Moriamo Olaleye in a lavish 2024 ceremony after a whirlwind US courtship, has built a brand on unapologetic PDAs—from gym thirst traps to anniversary tributes—that fans once swooned over. But this? It’s tipped the scale for many. The gesture, tied to their second anniversary, was meant as a playful nod to her support amid her pregnancy (the couple welcomed their first child earlier this year), but critics slammed it as a privacy violation in Nigeria’s conservative entertainment circles. “This is disturbing and embarrassing—seeing someone’s underwear on a red carpet isn’t the vibe we signed up for at a movie premiere,” vented user Chinwe Okoro on X, echoing a sentiment that’s propelled #KunleRemiUnderwearGate to trend with over 50,000 posts. Another, Segun Alabi, added, “There are better ways to show love than airing personal laundry—literally. Social media will roast this for weeks.”
The backlash wave hit fast: Feminists decried it as objectification, with one viral thread questioning if Tiwi “consented to her intimates becoming premiere props.” Nkechi Umeh chimed in, “Kunle has done bold online before, but this feels unnecessary and uncomfortable—protect your wife’s dignity, bro.” Even industry peers weighed in subtly; actress Nancy Isime reposted a meme of a shocked emoji with “Boundaries, people,” while comedian Basketmouth quipped, “Next up: Matching socks on the Oscars carpet?” Not everyone’s piling on, though—Remi’s ride-or-dies defended the “innocent” anniversary gag, with one fan noting, “She looks innocent in the gift vid; it’s just hubby humor gone wild.” Remi himself hasn’t directly addressed the uproar, but a cryptic story repost reading “Love in all its forms” suggests he’s unfazed, true to his history of clapping back at haters—like when he shaded a troll urging him to “hide his wife” offline with, “No bitterness can spoil our joy.”
The Herd, a taut exploration of survival and secrets in a dystopian herd, ironically mirrors the scrutiny now herding around Remi—premiere buzz overshadowed by bedroom banter. As the actor, a New York Film Academy alum with over 100 credits including Aníkúlápó and Tinsel, eyes more rom-com leads, this stunt raises eyebrows on whether his off-screen antics are endearing or exhausting. In Nollywood’s evolving playbook, where #WifeyFlex meets #MeToo, Remi’s red pant parade serves as a cheeky reminder: Sometimes, the real thriller is keeping it in the pants—pocket optional.
NigeriaWire Entertainment Desk. Clips and reactions from Instagram and X.