Artist Health, Legal Drama

Industry Breakup | Nollywood’s Mbong and Jeta Amata Call it Quits with Their Marriage #Family Law #Separation #Divorce

The family law side of things hits us on AML with news of Mbong and Jeta Amata’s legal separation. If you do not know who these two are, they are highly talented film actors with Jeta being a film producer, and Mbong a rising film star. Mbong also has some filmmaking skills she will soon be revealing to the world.  You can see this two at work in the Jeta Amata award winning  film ‘Amazing Grace.’

I spoke with Mbong to confirm the exclusive news reported by Linda Ikeji and she said it was indeed true.

Folks, this area is not my expertise and the subject of separation/divorce etc is not one I enjoy talking about. I leave it to my colleagues who enjoy that practice ares. Nevertheless, suffice it to say if you are in this situation, you should consult with a Family Law attorney and also seek counseling.

I am a bit surprised that Jeta Amata is already dating and placing the woman he is dating in his movie as a leading lady. It appears to me this is the same pattern reported in the Linda Ikeji writeup. Must Jeta sleep or foster romantic relationships with the leading women in his films, at least Mbong prior to marriage and now his current woman?

Beyond the scope of that, I hope these two sort things out as to child custody/visitation issues, should they decide it is indeed in their best interest to amicably keep it moving i.e. obtain a divorce.

-Uduak

. . . Mbong met Jeta when she was so young, married him and became a mother in her early twenties. She is a former beauty queen (Miss Akwa Ibom 2003) and her dream was to be an actress. Jeta didn’t mind his wife being an actress but he didn’t want her featuring in Nollywood movies, so he restricted her. Mbong, some of you may have noticed, only featured in Jeta’s movies. And because she met Jeta so young, Mbong didn’t get a chance to date other men, never partied and until they separated, never earned a living on her own. She relied on Jeta for everything.

When they moved to the US, it became a little worse for Mbong. She became lonely and instead of being the star actress she’s always dreamed of, she became a housewife, caring for Jeta and their five year old daughter. Mbong became resentful and left Jeta in 2011 and returned to Nigeria. Jeta went after her and they reconciled after Jeta promised to give her a bit more space to pursue her dreams.

Jeta tried to live up to his promise, but as an African man, just couldn’t compromise much and so last year Mbong wanted out of the marriage and Jeta let her go. Mbong and Jeta have been living separately in Los Angeles for about a year now. When I asked if there was any hope for reconciliation, my source told me ‘it’s only a matter of time before they file for divorce. They have moved on and the love is no longer there. Mbong is very happy now that she can do whatever she wants without a husband to stop her or tell her what she can or can’t do”

I’ve known Jeta Amata for a long time, since the 90’s in fact and so before writing this I reached out to him to get his own side of the story, and because we are friends, Jeta opened up to me.

He confirmed that they have indeed separated & partly blamed himself for the break up. He told me;
“Mbong is an amazing mother, an incredible wife…all the time we were together she would never let any other person cook my food…she was faithful and good to me and gave me the best gift in the world, our beautiful daughter. If I didn’t cage her so much maybe we would still be together. I stole her youth and didn’t let her live her dream so it was better to let her go and find new adventures. She’s happy and so am I. Despite the fact that we are no longer together, we are still good friends. . .

Linda Ikeji

Mbong Amata Black November the Struggle of the Niger Delta

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ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Credited for several firsts in the fashion and entertainment industry, Uduak Oduok (Ms. Uduak) is a fashion and entertainment lawyer, speaker, visionary, gamechanger, trailblazer, and recognized thought leader, for her work on Africa’s emerging global fashion and entertainment markets, and the niche practice of fashion law in the United States. She is also the founder of ‘Africa Music Law,’ an industry go-to music business and law blog and podcast show empowering African artists. Her work in the creative and legal industries has earned her numerous awards and recognitions, including an award from the American University Washington College of Law for her “legal impact in the field of intellectual property in Africa." She has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at several institutions in the United States. For more information, visit her at https://msuduak.com.

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