Young Famous and African: The History Of Annie And Swanky’s Friendship and Downfall
For many, reality TV is a guilty pleasure. You only watch it with your closest friends as you root for some characters and badmouth others. While you may be burnt out on the various dating reality shows, TLC docuseries, and The Real Housewives, Netflix has been branching out and diversifying reality television.
One of these shows is Young Famous and African. This show, set in South Africa, follows a group of celebrities throughout the continent as they navigate their careers, relationships, and friendships. However, one pair of friends captured the viewers’ hearts with their heartfelt love for one another and their epic downfall. Let’s revisit the story of Annie and Swanky.
Where Problems Began
The first season of Young Famous and African introduced us to a small but tight-knit group. Most people already knew one another and had been friends for years. Annie Macaulay-Idibia and Swanky Jerry were among the first of the cast to be introduced. When we met them, they were best friends, having been close for years. It was touching to watch the two and their loving, supportive friendship, often having one another’s backs in the face of adversity.
When Annie faced problems with other group members or her husband, Swanky would be the listening ear. Within the main cast of Young Famous and African, they were known to defend one another, and fighting with one often meant fighting with the other. While each group member found their issues with this dynamic, many had a begrudging respect for the closeness between Annie and Swanky. That was until the two completely fell out with one another.
The Initial Conflict
Season 2 of Young Famous and African opens up typically with no indication that anything is wrong within the group. It is mentioned that Annie and Swanky haven’t been speaking for nearly an entire year. This immediately raises alarm bells with viewers, as the pair left off on a good note during the previous season finale. Throughout the season, we don’t get to know exactly why the two fell out until a few episodes in, but both Annie and Swanky have a different story.
Annie’s version of why they stopped talking came after Swanky allegedly stole her idea for an event. According to Annie, she pitched an idea to Swanky for an upscale event, which seemingly never panned out between the two of them. Later, not only did Swanky allegedly go ahead with Annie’s event idea, but he also didn’t invite her.
Annie felt embarrassed as a revered actress, not being invited to an upscale event like that, especially one that was her idea, especially one that a public friend of hers hosted. While Annie stated she wanted to talk it through, Swanky had ghosted her, leaving her with no explanation or understanding. Annie felt he pulled away from her due to the public drama she was going through with her husband, claiming that Swanky didn’t want to be “dragged down” by it.
In Swanky’s version of events, he claimed he’d stopped talking to Annie long before the event. He claims he was on a business call with someone who worked for Annie. During this alleged call, Annie said extremely derogatory things about Swanky that he didn’t specify, but said that it scarred him, being that the rhetoric came from his friend.
He pushed allegations further by saying he even recorded the call, unable to believe what someone he considered his best friend was saying about him. He said that Annie was telling a business associate not to work with Swanky and that he was untrustworthy, among other things. Eventually, the two worked it out by the end of season two of Young Famous and African, though neither party admitted to the wrongdoing they were accused of.
The Newest Issue
Despite Annie and Swanky leaving off on a positive note in the season two finale, Season 3 of Young Famous and African opens with us discovering that they still aren’t close. It isn’t enough that they couldn’t regain the closeness they once had after so much strife, which would have been understandable, but the two were having a new problem. After season two wrapped and premiered, Annie didn’t like how Swanky spoke about her and her husband. She shut down Swanky’s claim that any defamatory conversation took place and swore there was no phone call recording.
While the phone call was never played on Young Famous and African, leaving it up for audiences to speculate whether it took place, Annie and Swanky went back and forth again, only to make up towards the end of the season. Despite their touching reunion filled with joy and laughter, many fans wonder if they can ever be friends again.
The two spent the last two years in turmoil and conflict, and things were said that could not be taken back. Only time will tell if Annie and Swanky can rekindle their once-beautiful friendship or if some lines can never be uncrossed. While there is no official announcement for Young Famous and African season 4, it is rumored to be in production with a summer 2026 release timeline currently. Fans eagerly await an official announcement from Netflix.
