Media entrepreneur and TV Host, Chude Jideonwo, takes the guest seat as part of celebrating his 25 years in media. For this special episode, he was interviewed by Nigerian actress and scriptwriter, Omoni Oboli on the #WithChude show for the first time in many years. On the show, he shared stories about his life, his emotions, his mother, his career, and the moments when he thought it was all over and wanted to end it all.
Taking to his Instagram to share the news, Chude shared. “For years people have been asking me, ‘What’s your own story?’ This year, I am finally saying yes and sharing a part of my story. The part I think the world needs to hear today. When my show hit its stride, I stopped saying yes to interviews because I wanted to focus on listening, hearing, and being a channel for others. I wanted to have something significant to say to the world before speaking again. I believe that time has come,” he said. “I am honoured by all the people who either offered or said yes. The first special is with my sister and friend, the chart-bursting actor, producer and director — Omoni Oboli.
Chude also shared about the release of his new book, ‘How Depression Saved My Life’ which will be out in April 2025, a memoir of his life from 2014-2024 and a journey that led him through depression, heartbreak, thoughts of suicide, quitting his job as CEO and becoming the host and creator of #WithChude.
In the emotional never-before-heard conversation, Chude shared that his company at that time was facing a lot of rejections and that affected him. “From age 15, my life has been up and I never faced anything like this. Suddenly I realised I could just fall on the ‘floor’. My mind kept thinking of the worst-case scenarios. At some point, I had to move to Debola’s house (his Co-founder). One day, my assistant back then came home and knocked on the door. He had to push the door open, as I had closed all the windows, and I was like, ‘I can’t deal with life’. He was panicking and after this, he said, ‘There’s a problem’. I became so afraid of what I might do to myself so I moved to Debola’s house. ‘The idea that I didn’t know if I was ever going to come out of this was what led me to depression. There was the shame and pain, and I didn’t have anything to fall on, so I sank.”
Watch excerpt here: https://www.instagram.com/p/ DFZg8pTI2kO/