Carolyna Hutchings Quits The Real Housewives of Lagos

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Carolyna Hutchings has announced her exit from The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOL), saying she wants to move on from the reality show and wants to be left out of disputes involving its cast members.

Hutchings made the announcement on Monday, August 31, 2026, in a lengthy statement shared on Instagram. Reflecting on her time on the show, she said she was ready to close that chapter and put more attention on the career she had built before reality television, including acting, filmmaking and producing.

“THE CURTAIN CLOSES ON RHOL,” she wrote. “Before RHOL, there was Carolyna the actress. Carolyna the producer. Carolyna the storyteller.”

Photo: Instagram/@carolynahutchings

The actress said she has spent more than two decades in the entertainment industry, with more than 60 movies to her credit. She also said she has 10 movies in the pipeline through Afrivista Films, with writers, producers, crew members and actors working on the projects.

“Our work, our sacrifices, and our creativity deserve to stand on their own,” she wrote.

For Hutchings, her time on RHOL is only one part of a career that began long before the reality series. She said she did not want her work in film and television to be reduced to her appearance on the show.

“I have entertained you through RHOL, just as I have through the many movies I have been privileged to be part of. But reality television is one chapter, not the definition of my career or my reality,” she said.

A major part of her statement focused on the continued association between her name and RHOL, even though the third season ended in 2025. Hutchings questioned why the show was still being used to form opinions about her career and personal life in 2026.

“What I find unfair is that a show that ended in the first two months of 2025 is still being used to define who I am in 2026,” she wrote.

Photo: Instagram/@carolynahutchings

She also addressed her relationship with the other Housewives, making it clear that appearing together on television should not be taken to mean they became close friends outside the programme.

“I have said this several times, but apparently it needs to be said again: No cast member of RHOL is my friend, not on the show, not after the show,” she stated.

Hutchings explained that she prefers to deal with disagreements directly rather than involving other people. “If I have an issue with someone, I address that person directly, as I have always done fearlessly. That is how I have lived my life,” she added.

She further complained about being dragged into disputes between former cast members. According to Hutchings, videos and posts that were unrelated to RHOL had been circulated in connection with disagreements involving the Housewives, leaving her name attached to matters she said had nothing to do with her.

Photo: Instagram/@carolynahutchings

She therefore asked the public and bloggers to stop connecting her to the personal disputes and activities of other cast members.

“The show is over for me. I have moved on,” Hutchings declared. “I am living my life. I am doing what I love. I am happy. I am enjoying my reality. I am building a legacy my children will be proud of.”

Hutchings was part of the original cast when The Real Housewives of Lagos premiered in April 2022 on Showmax. She appeared alongside Laura Ikeji Kanu, Chioma Ikokwu, Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, Iyabo Ojo and Mariam Timmer.

Although Hutchings described the RHOL chapter as closed, she did not completely rule out appearing on the show again. She made it clear that any decision to return would be hers.

“If I decide to return for another season, trust me, I will deliver excellently, as I always do whether as the saint or the villain,” she said.

Photo: Instagram/@carolynahutchings

She also thanked the producers of The Real Housewives of Lagos, Showmax and Africa Magic for giving her the opportunity to be part of the franchise, describing her experience on the first and third seasons as memorable.

For now, Hutchings says her attention is elsewhere. She wants to focus on her work as an actress and filmmaker, while asking the public to stop bringing her into arguments connected to the reality show.

“But for now… let me enjoy my reality in peace,” she wrote. “Leave me out of the drama.”