Sponsor’s Exit Forced Temporary Shutdown of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’, Says Frank Edoho

Television host and filmmaker Frank Edoho has clarified the circumstances surrounding the initial hiatus of the popular game show *lWho Wants To Be A Millionaire, revealing that the show went off the air due to the withdrawal of its primary sponsor following a government fine, rather than his dismissal.

Speaking on a recent episode of The KK Show, Edoho addressed long-standing rumors, refuting previous news reports that claimed he was dropped by the producers.

According to Edoho, the primary corporate sponsor—which had backed the flagship broadcast for a decade—was forced to pull out after the Federal Government imposed a heavy regulatory penalty on the company. The resulting financial strain made it impossible for the brand to continue funding the show.

Following the sponsor’s exit, negotiations began to bring in new financial backers. Edoho stated that during this transition, he sought to negotiate an executive producer role and secure an equity stake in the production, leveraging his 13 years as the face of the brand. However, negotiations stalled due to contractual disagreements.

Edoho expressed disappointment over media reports at the time that framed his absence from the planned relaunch as a sacking, describing the coverage as unfair after his years of service to the show.

Edoho hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire from 2004 until his resignation in September 2017, when the show entered a five-year hiatus. He subsequently returned as host when the franchise was officially revamped and relaunched with new sponsorship in 2022.