By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Ayo Edebiri, the Nigerian-American actress, has revealed why she took a break from church.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Edebiri spoke about her religious beliefs after moving from Boston to New York City for college.
The 28-year-old actress said she was raised Pentecostal and was deeply involved in church life.
The film star described the church as “more or less a second home”. She, however, said the teachings about the rapture made her anxious and scared.
Edebiri also said she struggled with the church’s idea that her gay and Muslim friends would not make it to heaven.
She said this brought her “so much sadness” and led her to take “a break” from church.
“The was horrible for my anxiety,” she said.
“I was petrified of death. I was petrified of the rapture. It was genuinely breaking my brain and giving me so much stress and sadness. I was just like, ‘I need a break.’ ”
The actress was born in Boston on October 3, 1995. She is the daughter of a Barbadian mother and a Nigerian father.
Her journey in entertainment began in high school while taking part in open mic challenges.
She attended New York University, where she initially intended to study teaching before switching her major to Dramatic Writing.
In 2022, Edebiri featured in the comedy-drama series ‘The Bear’, for which she won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
In addition to ‘The Bear’, Edebiri starred in the 2023 teen comedy ‘Bottoms’.
She also served as a writer on the FX horror comedy ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ in 2022.