Renowned Ghanaian journalist and media personality Israel Laryea has defended his wife, Louisa Laryea, following intense online criticism stemming from a social media post she made in reaction to comments by GHOne TV journalist Lily Mohammed over the issuance of a Ghanaian passport to American streamer Darren Watkins Jr, popularly known as IShowSpeed.

The controversy began after Lily Mohammed, during a television editorial on January 28, 2026, criticised the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for granting a Ghanaian passport to the American content creator.

Mohammed questioned the relevance of the decision, describing it as disrespectful to Ghanaians and an insult to the nation.

Following the editorial, Louisa Laryea made a cryptic Facebook post, later sighted by GhanaWeb, in which she criticised the journalist’s approach to the issue.

“Journalism goes way beyond make-up, skin bleaching, BBL, hair and fashion. Journalists ought to research, court the facts, interrogate data, and demonstrate sound reasoning,” Louisa Laryea wrote.

Louisa Laryea is only relevant because of her husband’s surname - OB Amponsah

Her post triggered backlash online and drew a sharp response from Lily Mohammed, who rejected the criticism and questioned Louisa Laryea’s authority to comment on journalism.

“…That you are married to a journalist definitely does not make you one. The profession is not sexually transmitted.

“I would have very much been open to a discourse with you but seeing as you have absolutely no substance in that capacity, it would be a complete waste of my time. I hope you take a look at yourself in the mirror the next time you choose to be condescending, as you were with your distasteful post,” Lily Mohammed stated.

GHOne journalist, Israel Laryea's wife, trade words over Ablakwa criticism

As the exchanges escalated into what many described as a “troll storm,” Israel Laryea broke his silence on February 2, 2026, addressing the controversy, defending his wife and responding to critics of his marriage.

In a lengthy statement, Israel Laryea said, “Louisa and I have had conversations about her post that went viral and caused a troll storm and I got her to appreciate a few things - one of them being that there’s one thing about what you say and there’s another about how people interpret it.

“While you may feel free to say what you wish, you cannot necessarily control how people understand it. There’s also how people would choose to spin it to suit their own narrative.

“She however explains that she never meant to body shame anyone. Unfortunately, we can all agree that you can’t control how people choose to interpret a post. Louisa further clarifies that she never sought to infer that Lily Mohammed had bleached or done BBL because she does not know her.”

He added, “If Lily felt offended, sorry but that was definitely not the intention. I’ve also read posts and comments about my marriage. To those people, I’d say focus on your marriage if you have one or when you enter one. There are also those who say Louisa is ugly. Really? This woman right here at 52 years after giving birth to three children, is ugly? Create a human let’s see how you fare.

“Finally, to the “friends” who joined the troll or fueled it, what real friends will do would be to reach out privately to obtain some context or seek to correct if necessary. I’ve never trolled or joined trolling of a friend and would never do that.

“But hey, we’re all brought up differently, which is why we will always have differences in opinions. Stay well. …and to you, Louisa, I love you always.”



AM