In an interview on Hitz FM, Empress Gifty’s publicist, Edem Tsotorme, explained that her daughter fell ill the same day after Gifty had performed at a thanksgiving ceremony for Despite's mother-in-law.
According to Tsotorme, Empress Gifty’s absence from Onua Showtime was not due to any dispute with McBrown.
“Empress did not attend Onua Showtime, not because of any malice. After her performance at Despite’s mother-in-law's thanksgiving ceremony, she received a call that her daughter had fallen ill in Akosombo. So she rushed to the school in the Eastern Region, and they even had to transfer her to Tema. She only left the hospital on Monday morning,” he explained.
Tsotorme further noted that the “Jesus Over Do” hitmaker lost her phone during the incident, which hindered her ability to contact McBrown.
“In the process, she lost her phone, so many people who were trying to reach her couldn't get through. As of 5:58 pm, I was the one who called McBrown’s production team to inform them about the situation. I even went with a team member to McBrown's show, hoping Empress Gifty could manage to come on the show, but the situation was beyond her control,” he added.
Tsotorme confirmed that Empress Gifty's daughter is now responding to treatment, and they are hopeful for a full recovery.
Background on Their Dispute
Tension between the two began when Empress Gifty launched a new cooking show on UTV, which replaced McBrown’s Kitchen after McBrown left for Media General.
McBrown criticised the surge of “copycats” entering the cooking show space, asserting her role as the original.
This led to a series of exchanges between the two, with claims that McBrown had repeatedly overshadowed opportunities for Empress Gifty.