The dark side of fame - Vinnie Baite speaks on celebrity extortion

Comedian and YouTuber Vinnie Baite has opened up about the dark side of fame that he experienced after he broke into the entertainment industry.

Baite revealed on the Iko Nini podcast that there was a time in his life when people assumed that he had a lot of money, yet he was just struggling to make a living like anyone else.

"I used to live in Kawangware, in a place called Mlango Soko, after completing my university studies. People used to disturb me, and that's why I relocated to another place.

Comedian Vinnie Baite Pulse Live Kenya

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"People already knew where I stayed, and they used to wait for me outside my house. Some would ask for money, while others wanted to take photos with me," Vinnie Baite said.

He added that he used to wonder what was going on and that's when he decided to look for a new place to stay.

Baite also shed some light on how Kenyans think that YouTube views equal what one earns from the platform.

"People used to say that I have money simply because my YouTube channel had clips with over 500K or 1 million views. People think that every view is worth a shilling," he explained.

Comedian Vinnie also recalled how a random person once asked him for a lot of money to settle a hospital bill, yet he had not paid his own rent.

Comedian Vinnie Baite Pulse Live Kenya

"A guy once approached me in Kawangware and asked for Sh160K to pay for his kid's surgery, yet I had not settled my own rent. I was just famous. I always get messages from people asking for money.

"There was even a time when I received a message from a lady asking for Sh50K to help a pregnant lady who wanted to relocate to Nairobi," Baite said.

Vinnie added that people don't understand that celebrities are just normal human beings leading normal lives like anyone else.