Nigerian content creator Big Jae has become the centre of a heated social media controversy involving his current partner, Genevieve, and his former partner, Chidera, also known as Dera, following conflicting accounts about the end of his previous relationship and the beginning of his current one.
The controversy, which has generated widespread discussion on TikTok and other social media platforms, centres largely on the timeline of Big Jae’s separation from Chidera and when his relationship with Genevieve began.
Big Jae, known on TikTok as @bigjae_001, has built a significant following through dance and lifestyle content. He currently creates content alongside Genevieve, with the pair becoming known online for their dance and couple videos.
Before his relationship with Genevieve, Big Jae was with Chidera. The former couple have a daughter named Jasmine.
Both sides agree that their relationship experienced serious difficulties and eventually broke down. However, their accounts differ over when the relationship effectively ended and what happened before Big Jae began dating Genevieve.
The controversy gained further attention in March 2026 when Big Jae and Genevieve appeared together on Pulse Nigeria’s Fun Facts.
During the conversation, Genevieve asked Big Jae to address allegations that she had taken him from another woman while he was still married.
Big Jae acknowledged during the interview that he was still married when he started seeing Genevieve.
He also expressed regret about not meeting Genevieve earlier, saying he wished they had met first and that he had “missed out so bad” before their relationship began.
The remarks immediately became a major talking point online and strengthened criticism from people who believed Genevieve entered the picture before Big Jae’s previous marriage had formally ended.
The controversy resurfaced strongly in August after Chidera released a lengthy YouTube video titled “WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN JAE AND I,” presenting her version of events.
Chidera claimed she and Big Jae were still legally married when he began his relationship and started creating content with Genevieve.
She also made several allegations concerning their daughter and a custody dispute that followed the breakdown of their relationship.
According to Chidera, Big Jae initiated legal proceedings seeking full custody of Jasmine.
She claimed the resulting legal battle became financially demanding and affected her mental well-being.
Chidera further alleged that she temporarily allowed their daughter to stay with Big Jae during the dispute, but that Jasmine was returned to her approximately two weeks later.
She also disputed what she described as an inaccurate impression that their divorce had already been completed before Genevieve entered Big Jae’s life.
Despite publicly addressing the controversy, Chidera said she had moved on and wanted to explain her side rather than continue fighting publicly over the relationship.
Big Jae has presented a different account.
In response videos and previous public comments, the content creator maintained that his relationship with Chidera had effectively ended long before he became romantically involved with Genevieve.
His position has been that while the legal process surrounding the marriage may not have been completed, he and Chidera had already been separated and were no longer functioning as a couple.
Big Jae has also claimed that he continued supporting Chidera financially after their separation.
Among his claims was that he attempted to help establish a business for her despite the problems between them.
He further accused Chidera and some people close to her of privately contacting others and spreading negative stories about him.
Big Jae has also made counter-allegations concerning Chidera’s conduct during their relationship while defending his version of how their marriage deteriorated.
The competing accounts have left social media users divided.
Some commentators have sided with Chidera, particularly following Big Jae’s earlier acknowledgement that he was technically still married when his relationship with Genevieve began.
Others have defended Big Jae, arguing that a marriage can effectively end before divorce proceedings are formally completed and pointing to his claim that he and Chidera had already separated.
Genevieve has also faced criticism from people accusing her of contributing to the collapse of the previous relationship, although Big Jae’s account maintains that his relationship with Chidera had already broken down before Genevieve became his partner.
At the centre of the dispute is therefore a distinction between legal marital status and the actual state of Big Jae and Chidera’s relationship at the time he began seeing Genevieve.
Another sensitive aspect of the controversy concerns Jasmine.
The former couple’s accounts about custody, parenting responsibilities and their interactions following the separation have repeatedly featured in the public dispute.
As of August 2026, Big Jae and Genevieve remain together and continue creating content, while Chidera has said she wants to move forward with her life.
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