Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has revealed that he was once paid to pretend to have a physical disability as part of what he described as a staged healing miracle in a church.

Solade made the disclosure during an interview with Feel Right News TV, published on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, while recalling an experience from his younger days when he was still a student and had not yet become a popular actor. According to the 66-year-old actor, he was approached to act as a person with a disability during a church programme, where he was expected to appear as though he had been miraculously healed.

The actor said he accepted the arrangement and was paid for his participation. He explained that he later used the money he received to buy alcohol, adding that other people involved in the alleged arrangement also benefited financially from the exercise.

“I have been used for miracle then, when I was not popular. I acted as a cripple, they paid, I used the money to drink, then I was a student,” Solade said.

Solade further said the people allegedly behind the arrangement are still alive but declined to disclose their identities. He said he did not want to mention their names publicly, leaving the identities of those involved undisclosed.

“The people involved are still alive; I just don’t want to mention names,” he said.

The actor’s account has drawn attention to the issue of alleged staged miracles and the use of individuals to create the appearance of supernatural healing during religious services. However, Solade did not identify the church where the incident allegedly occurred, nor did he name the individuals he said were involved. The account therefore remains his personal recollection and has not been independently verified.

The revelation also comes shortly after Solade spoke about his relationship with organised religion and explained why he stopped attending church services. He said he had not attended a church service for about 13 years, although he maintained that he remains a child of God.

“God created me in His image. I stopped going to church 13 years ago because I was not finding it funny any longer, though I am a child of God,” the actor said.

Solade also questioned the idea of limiting worship to a particular day, saying his relationship with God is not centred on Sunday. He added that he remains grateful to God for his life and existence.

“My life is not orchestrated towards a particular day. There is no Sunday in the Bible. Without God, I will not be alive,” he said.

Solade, who has spent decades in the Nigerian film industry, has continued to speak openly about his personal experiences and views on faith. His latest revelation has generated discussion because of his claim that he participated in a staged miracle before he became recognised as a Nollywood actor, although he has chosen not to disclose the identities of those allegedly involved.