Nigerian singer Jaywon has found himself at the center of controversy after Twitter user @praiseoghre accused him of allegedly bankrolling a smear campaign against rising star Ayra Starr.
According to Praise, she was approached via direct message by an anonymous handler who offered ₦10,000 per post to circulate unflattering photos of the Mavin Records princess, with instructions to claim she had body odor or bad breath.
This shocking revelation comes as Ayra Starr trended over the weekend, with social media flooded by memes mocking her hygiene. Fans are now demanding answers as the accusation gains traction online.
She wrote:
“When I first noticed that Ayra Starr is trending, I thought it was just a typical occurrence. However, someone—whom I won’t mention—messaged me, asking me to post a picture of her with an agenda that she stinks for 10k per picture.”
Adding weight to the accusation, popular Twitter personality @drpenking penned a detailed post condemning the disturbing smear trend against Ayra Starr.
He wrote:
“Recently, several pictures have been flying around of people allegedly ‘holding their nose’ around Ayra Starr—all meant to suggest she has bad breath or poor hygiene. What initially seemed like ‘typical internet banter’ quickly turned into a disturbing discovery after Praise’s revelation.”
“Let that sink in: someone is paying people to bully Ayra Starr. This goes beyond trolling. This is a paid, organized, and malicious attempt to embarrass and dehumanize a young woman who has done NOTHING to deserve this treatment,” he continued.
Labeling the trend as “devilish,” Dr. Penking slammed the cruelty of paying people to bully a young, carefree artist who simply delivers great music in her signature mini skirts.
“We must do better. We can’t normalize weaponizing clout and coins to tear down people who are just trying to live their dreams. Protect Ayra Starr,” he added.
Jaywon and Ayra Starr’s relationship soured in 2024 after Jaywon was accused of mocking her Grammy snub. He expressed disappointment that rather than addressing the trolling, Ayra Starr and her team capitalized on it.
He said:
“We took a picture and it went viral, you and your team never said anything about it. The only thing your management did was to promote the picture back to back. Nobody is dumb.”