We think public conversations around crossdressing and living openly as a woman only became popular recently because of people likeBobrisky.

But long before Instagram and online blogs turned everything into daily entertainment, there was already a Nigerian entertainer causing similar conversations across the country.

His name was Bob Actor, although many people knew him better as Calypso King.

In the late 1980s, Calypso King became one of Nigeria's most controversial entertainers, not just because of his music or acting career, but because of the way he chose to present himself publicly at a time when Nigerian society was far more conservative than it is today.

Back then, even dressing differently as a male celebrity could attract heavy criticism. But Calypso King pushed beyond that, he openly spoke about feeling more comfortable living as a woman and discussed plans to travel abroad for gender transition surgery.

The Interview That Sparked Reactions

Today, conversations around crossdressing and gender identity happen online almost every day. People argue about them on podcasts, social media, and television shows. But in the 1980s, public discussions like that were rare, especially from a well-known Nigerian entertainer.

That was part of what made Calypso King stand out so strongly.

In a 1989 interview with Lagos Weekend, he spoke openly about his personal life and said criticism did not bother him. He claimed he got married partly to prove he was not impotent because many Nigerians already questioned his sexuality and identity.

He was reportedlymarried with a child, yet still openly expressed his desire to eventually live fully as a woman and he hoped to marry a man after transitioning.

How Nigerians Reacted in the 1980s

You can already imagine how Nigerians reacted in that era.

The country was deeply conservative socially and religiously, and many people simply did not understand him. Some mocked him publicly, while others believed he was mentally unstable.

But despite the criticism, Calypso King never appeared interested in hiding who he was.

That confidence was part of what kept people talking about him.

Whether people supported him or strongly disagreed with him, he became difficult to ignore.

Why People Still Mention Him Today

Interestingly, many younger Nigerians today have never heard of him.

When conversations about Nigerian crossdressing celebrities happen online now, we immediately think about Bobrisky because social media made his rise impossible to ignore. But decades before smartphones, Calypso King had already become one of the country's most talked-about entertainers for similar reasons.

He was, in fact,part of a longer tradition of gender nonconforming Nigerian entertainers that stretched back even further to the 1970s, though very few people make that connection today.

The major difference is that the internet did not exist then to permanently preserve celebrity culture the way it does now. Many stories from that period survived mostly through old newspaper interviews, magazine reports, and word of mouth.