Nollywood actress Lilian Afegbai, known as Lilly Afe, has publicly apologized for her heated reaction to being overlooked in the 2026 AMVCA nominations for her standout performance as Idia in Kemi Adetiba’s To Kill A Monkey. In a reflective X (formerly Twitter) post, she acknowledged that her earlier tweet was disrespectful and out of character, asking fans and the industry for forgiveness.
Lilly admitted the tweet should never have been posted.
“This apology should have come earlier. That tweet should not have happened. No excuse.”
She took full responsibility for the outburst, explaining it stemmed from deep disappointment.
“Honestly, I was disappointed. But that’s not an excuse for how I responded. I’ve come a long way in my journey, and for a long time I felt invisible. To Kill A Monkey felt like my ‘now they see me’ moment, and I held on to that very tightly. When I wasn’t nominated, I reacted from a place of hurt, entitlement and it was out of character for me. I was wrong and I am sorry.”
She extended the apology to everyone affected.
“It was disrespectful to AMVCA, the nominees, my To Kill A Monkey family, and all of you who have supported me.”
Lilly ended on a humble note, asking for grace and promising to do better.
“Please give me a chance to be better. I disappoint again.”
This apology comes shortly after her earlier viral tweet following the AMVCA 2026 nominations announcement on March 29. In that post, Lilly had expressed frustration over not being nominated for Best Supporting Actress despite the massive online buzz her character Idia generated.
Read Lilly Afe Blasts AMVCA Snub: “Eat Your Award”
To Kill A Monkey itself received eight nominations at the 12th AMVCA, including in major categories such as Best Scripted Series. However, Lilian Afegbai was notably absent from the Best Supporting Actress list.
Read AMVCA Unveils 2026 Nominees List
Lilly’s latest post has been met with overwhelmingly positive responses from fans and colleagues.
The actress has built a solid career as both an actor and producer, winning an AMVCA for her production work in the past. Her role as Idia in To Kill A Monkey was widely celebrated for its authenticity, particularly her command of Bini pidgin and the character’s bold energy. The public apology appears to be an attempt to move forward gracefully after the initial disappointment.