Bob Hearts Abishola is a CBS comedy, directed by Chuck Lorre, that follows Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell), a compress sock business man, and Abishola Bolatito Doyinsola Oluwatoyin Adebambo, a Nigerian nurse who is a single mother. After Bob suffers a heart attack and winds up in her ward, they slowly fall in love.
Not only has the show introduced new actors to the public, but also made Nigerian culture more well-known. Although Folake Olowofoyeku isn't new to the scene, she is new to playing a lead role and her fame has become greater since starring on the show.
Currently in the middle of the third season, Bob Hearts Abishola airs Mondays at 8:30. Unlike Billy Gardell who was already a main character on a successful sitcom, Olowofoyeku has not been this much in the public eye, so not much is known about her. Here's a look inside Bob Hearts Abishola star Folake Olowofoyeku's life.
8 Folake Olowofoyeku's Early Life
Folake Olowofoyeku was born and raised in Nigeria on October 26, 1983, to Nigerian politician Babatunji Olowofoyeku and Felicia Olowofoyeku. She is the youngest of 20 children and was part of the Yoruba tribe (which is also accurate to her character). As for education, Olowofoyeku attended Igbinedion Education Centre, a Montessori boarding school in Benin City. After that, she transferred to Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls in Ikeja, Lagos and then attended Oxbridge Tutorial College. Despite her love and passion for the arts, her parents pushed her into the family professions of law and politics. The Nigerian native moved to New York when she was 18 years old to start a new life for herself and live out her dreams.
7 Her Education And Following Her Dreams
After moving to New York City in 2001, her parents expected her to study economics and then after that attend law school, but she had different plans. Olowofoyeku attended the City College of New York where she studied acting and earned a Bachelor's of Art in theater. She achieved honors during her time in school. She also received a diploma in audio engineering from the Institute of Audio Research.
During her time in college, the actress developed many hobbies. She joined the basketball team and competed in the NCAA Women's Division III for the Beavers. Olowofoyeku also learned how to play guitar by herself.
6 Why Folake Olowofoyeku Fled To New York
According to an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Olowofoyeku was taking a vacation to see her sister in New York. She got on the plane on her birthday and never looked back, never to return home. That was the biggest move and moment of her life. Attending college there made her more empathetic and open. "And it is where I learned to be a lot more open — more open than I’d ever been in my life. Nigerians aren’t necessarily extremely affectionate, at least in my family. And that’s the first time I became comfortable with that," she told the publication.
"I think being in New York in general just fed me. Working off-off-off-off-Broadway gave me the foundation that has sustained me throughout my professional life," she continued.
5 After College
Folake Olowofoyeku did live in New York until 2012 and even got a job at an off-Broadway theater, but she did not stay there. Her mother passed away from breast cancer a few years after graduating from college, which set her back and took her a bit to regain her stamina. When she found strength again, Olowofoyeku picked up everything and moved to L.A. to really focus on acting.
4 Folake Olowofoyeku's Acting Career
Before starring on Bob Hearts Abishola, the actress had minor roles in other popular TV shows including 30 Rock, How to Get Away with Murder, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Modern Family, Westworld, Transparent and White Collar, among others.
Her first movie credit was in 2017 in Death Race 2050. Her first short film credit was in When They Could fly, which earned her a Best Actress award at the ReelHeART International Film Festival. And in 2018, the short, Central & Broadway, earned her the Best Actress in a Fashion Film at the CinéFashion Film Awards. Then in 2019, she gained the titular role of Abishola in Bob Hearts Abishola, which is the first American sitcom to feature a Nigerian family.
3 Folake Olowofoyeku's Music Career
Besides acting, another passion of the 38-year-old is singing. Folake Olowofoyeku plays Afro-beat electronic music under the moniker The Folake. Aside from self-teaching herself guitar, The Folake also plays piano and has worked as a sound engineer. The Folake appeared in two David Bowie music videos, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" and "The Next Day," in 2013 as his bass guitar player. She has played on The Kelly Clarkson Show and teased new music coming soon on her Instagram.
2 Folake Olowofoyeku's Role On 'Bob Hearts Abishola'
The single parent to a tween son and the niece to two hilarious, but strict Nigerian aunt and uncle, Abishola works as a nurse in Detroit. She meets Bob after he had surgery and although it was love at first sight for him, it wasn't so much for her. He later pursues her, and they fall in love and eventually get married. She has to adjust to life in America and deal with the repercussions of her ex-husband. However, Abishola is no force to be reckoned with.
Growing up in Nigeria, Folake Olowofoyeku knows what the character is dealing with firsthand. "Having grown up in Nigeria, I find that I have taken it upon myself to every now and then suggest different ways to deliver lines or to tweak words so it sounds a little more Nigerian-specific to someone who’s grown up in Nigeria — [adjusting] the rhythms whenever it allows, because at the end of the day we still have to maintain the comedic integrity. The producers are very open to suggestions. I think 90 percent, 95 percent of my suggestions have been taken, and I’m grateful for it. At the same time, I also don’t want to mess with their magic," she told The Hollywood Reporter.
1 Her Relationship And Family
Currently, Folake Olowofoyeku is single, but according to Married Biography she was previously married. However, there is no information on her ex-husband except that it is rumored she does have two children with her ex, but certain outlets report she does not have any kids. She likes to keep her personal life pretty private. However, in 2018, she did appear on a red carpet with Jonah Warton and captioned the now deleted photo on Instagram of the two of them together with a heart emoji. Their relationship seemed to fizzle out quickly.