Sophia Momodu, entrepreneur and mother of Afrobeats star Davido’s first child, has opened up about the ridicule and social stigma she says she faced after becoming pregnant outside marriage.
Momodu shared the experience while speaking at a side event on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. She said her situation became particularly difficult because she was raised as a pastor’s daughter and faced strong expectations surrounding marriage and family.
Recalling the period, Momodu said she struggled to maintain her voice amid the criticism surrounding her pregnancy and relationship with the music star.
“I am a pastor’s daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock by a global superstar. And I was mocked. It was crazy,” she said.
She explained that although she was already well known, the public attention surrounding her personal life often overshadowed her own perspective.
“For the longest time, I didn’t have a voice,” Momodu said, adding that negativity surrounding the story continued to drown out her voice.
Momodu also recalled that an aunt once advised her to remain silent after allegedly being approached by someone who wanted her to stop discussing the experience publicly.
However, she said speaking about her experience at different forums eventually helped her discover that other women had faced similar situations. She said women subsequently approached her to share their own stories, encouraging her to continue speaking openly.
The disclosure is significant because it highlights the social pressure surrounding pregnancy outside marriage and the additional expectations that can affect women from religious families. Momodu’s comments also shift attention from her long-publicised relationship with Davido to her personal experience with stigma, identity and finding her voice.
Momodu and Davido welcomed their daughter, Imade Adeleke, on May 14, 2015. DNA testing later confirmed Davido as the child’s biological father. The pair were never married and have since had a highly publicised history involving their co-parenting relationship.
