Nigerian stand-up comedian and actor Stanley Chibunna, popularly known as Funny Bone, has shared his thoughts on the dangers of defending oneself online.

In a video posted on his Instagram page, he advised against responding to public accusations, noting that the court of social media is one where nobody wins.

Funny Bone acknowledged that the urge to defend oneself can be strong when falsely accused, but he warned that public explanations often lead to more harm than good. He maintained that online audiences are quick to judge and often forget the context, and even those who are initially supportive may later turn their back on one.

He encouraged people to find peace and closure through trusted friends and therapy rather than seeking validation online, emphasizing that online controversies are temporary.

He said:
“Hi guys. So, I’m glad to share my two cents on a particular topic or something I’ve noticed lately. So, if you’re close to me, if we’re friends, and you’re watching this video, or you’re a fan, you follow me, or you have access to this video and you’ve seen it, I pray for you that if you ever have a problem with anybody online, you know, maybe they’ve called you out, they’ve accused you wrongly, they’re saying you did what you didn’t do, you know, you’ve been accused, calling you names, anything, you know, and they’ve come to call you out online, I pray that when you feel the urge to come back online, to want to defend yourself, may God give you friends, family, good friends, who will call you, discourage you, who will stand by you, give you their shoulders to lean on, who will hear you out, and advise you not to ever come online to explain yourself.

Because you know why? I’ve noticed that with online, with coming online to explain yourself, you see the court of social media, nobody wins. The court of social media, nobody ever wins. If you’re too pressed, you can type out a statement and put out, or making a video, having your face on the video for court of social media, for people who you don’t know, for people who might never understand where you’re coming from, for people who are seated in the comfort of their homes, their shop, their villages, and they just start to draw up conclusions about you and your person, without even knowing you, and you’re trying to prove or explain the points to them, may you never find yourself in that situation. Because I’ve also learned that with things online, nobody wins, and they never forget.

The same people who are supporting you online, who use your video, from the day you explained yourself, and they’re supporting, they’ll use the video for me, they will mock you months after, with the same video where they cheered and supported you, the same guys online. So you see, once you come online, nobody wins. Find peace. Get closure. Talk to somebody. Get therapy. Heal. Be fine. You don’t have to always tell your side of the story. It’s not necessary. They can run with the version that they want to run with. That’s fine. Because you know why? After you, something else will happen, and they will move to the next story. Online, nothing lasts. Nothing stays forever. I promise you. You do yours on Monday, on Tuesday, something happens, they’ll leave yours and move on to the next thing. You don’t have to explain yourself. Chin up. Toughen up. Move on. Something else will happen. You’ll forget your own. Follow that one. Online. That’s how it rolls.”