Nyong’o opened up on Instagram, saying she wanted to share “a personal truth”.
“I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception,” she wrote, without naming anyone.
Masekela has not said anything and has turned off his Instagram comments.
Nyong’o, an A-list Hollywood actress who made history in 2014 as the first Kenyan to win an Oscar and the second African to do so after South African actress Charlize Theron, made public her relationship with Masekela in December last year.
“We just click!” Nyong’o captioned the video introducing their relationship, which she has since deleted.
Selema, the son of South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela, also gushed about Nyong’o in a separate post.
“Hearts are synched. My whole and actual love Lupita Nyongo,” he said.
In her break-up post, Nyong’o said she wanted to “publicly dissociate me from someone I can no longer trust” and that her love was “extinguished by deception”.
The news of Lupita Nyong’o’s split from Selema Masekela has taken many fans by surprise, especially considering the heartwarming moment when Masekela asked for advice on how to strike up a conversation with the Black Panther star several years ago.
“Hypothetically speaking of course, let’s say you are seated behind Lupita Nyong’o on an airplane. What would be your opening line?” Masekela posted on X in 2016.
In response to the breakup, Nyong’o’s fans and some of her celebrity friends have flooded her with messages of support. She has garnered a substantial fanbase over the years, thanks to her captivating performances in Hollywood hits like Us and Black Panther.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay expressed her support, saying, “We lift you up with love and sisterhood. Your miracles are all around you. Let us count them in confidence and faith.”
Many fans have praised Nyong’o for her bravery and openness in sharing a private and sensitive issue with the world.
Nyong’o mentioned in her post that she hopes her experience can be of help to others who are going through heartbreak, and she encourages them not to miss out on the wisdom that can come from such experiences.
There has been minimal support or comments in favor of Masekela.
