Popular media personalities Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and Tolu “Toolz” Oniru-Demuren have made a highly anticipated return with their acclaimed talk show, “Off Air with Gbemi & Toolz.”
The show, known for its uncensored gossip and infotainment where nothing is off limits, debuted on YouTube on October 10, 2019, and quickly garnered a significant following.
After a successful run on YouTube and audio podcast channels, the show transitioned to television, airing on Africa Magic Urban (DStv Ch. 153 and GOtv Ch. 6) for two seasons starting from November 2022, bringing its engaging discussions on trending topics, entertainment, and lifestyle to an even wider audience.
In an exclusive conversation with Netng, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi said fans had been clamouring for a return of Off Air. “We’d been getting direct messages on social media, comments on the YouTube page and even our social media pages asking when the show would be back on YouTube.”
“I recall being in a taxi and the driver turned to ask, “Are you Gbemi? I am not happy with you. Why did you take it off YouTube?” I have even been accosted in person at the grocery store, and it’s so funny having to explain that they can still watch it anywhere“
So yeah, we know people are eager for the show to return, especially from the diaspora audience.
The duo returned to YouTube on the 1st of August 2025 with a recap episode for Off Air, much to the delight of the show’s dedicated fanbase. This return signifies a new chapter for the duo, who have built a strong rapport with their audience over a decade, stemming from their daily handover sessions on The Beat 99.9 FM.
We know what our audience likes. We know that there are certain elements of the show that they love. So we’re bringing those elements back and adding some new ones. It’s also been on television for the past two years, but it’s back on YouTube now.
Off Air with Gbemi and Toolz enjoyed its run on television, but Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi explains that being on a digital platform like YouTube has its benefits. In this digitally advanced age, it would enable everyone across the globe to watch it on demand.
“I feel like with the way the world is going now, it definitely makes sense to be back on YouTube,” she says. “There were certain restrictions when we were on television, but not anymore. So we can do a lot more now and can discuss a lot more things.”
Off Air with Gbemi & Toolz features a blend of gossip, infotainment, games, celebrity guests, musical performances, and human-interest stories. The show’s candid and often hilarious conversations have resonated deeply with viewers, earning it an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) nomination for ‘Best Unscripted Original’ after its first season on TV.
The recap episode, which Gbemi describes as just a teaser, covered some of the hottest gists in global entertainment and has reached almost 20000 views at the time of this report.
