Insomnia hit me on Saturday night, and by chance, I bumped into the Sophia and Bumpy Podcast by Juelz through a reel on Instagram. The tagline was so captivating I just had to check it out – fortunately, the two-part conversation was on YouTube ( it’s currently streaming on Spotify), and I was hooked on the story up to the AM.
Here’s the thing. Podcasts have taken over the radio, and I follow a bunch of podcasts on YouTube (thanks to the visuals). Still, the Sophia and Bumpy Podcast by Juelz is straight-up unlike anything I’ve seen before (I also listen to many international podcasts. That’s not all – it’s Kenyan!
Yes! You heard that right. The conversation is so clear and crisp that you’ll be compelled to listen through the entire story. The Narrator, Sophia, is so eloquent, clear, and articulate about her experiences with her Ex, Bumpy, that you’ll be held captive throughout the 2-hour Podcast.
Forgive me for going too deep about the Podcast layout – I couldn’t help but get overwhelmed. This story is too good. It feels like it runs by a script – you’ll be burdened by emotions, get angry with her, want to save her – and at the end of it, ask yourself so many questions. Life is crazy, and people are facing storms out here.
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Who is Sophia, and Who is Bumpy?
Two prominent individuals are in this chilling story before we get into the story’s heart. Sophia, the guest on the Podcast (telling her story), and Bumpy, the Ex at the heart of all her misery for the last few years.
Sophia, in her early 20s, is a mother of a 1-year-old girl (the daughter of Bumpy). On the other hand, Bumpy is a 30-year-old male living with his parents (same compound, different houses)who gets into a romantic relationship with Sophia, marries her and sets the stage for one of the most chilling love-turns-sour stories I’ve ever heard.
Sophia and Bumpy Story
The story starts with Sophia, a 20-year-old student working part-time at night as a waitress in Nairobi. She’s just 20 years old and finds herself pregnant, living with her mom, juggling school and a night shift job in Nairobi.
PS: Sophia doesn’t mention where the story takes place anywhere in the Podcast, but I can’t help but feel this story is based in Kahawa Sukari due to the specifics of the story.
Sophia meets Bumpy one evening through her ‘Smoocha” guy. A ‘Smoocha’ is a popular Kenyan street food. It’s simply a sausage-wrapped tortilla. They live in the same neighborhood and develop a friendship tied to the struggles Sophia is facing.
Bitter Sweet Romance
Sophia eventually gets an abortion since the man responsible did not want anything to do with it. All this time, Bumpy is by her side and even volunteers to take her to the special clinics. Bumpy feels like the right person for Sophia during this difficult time since he also has a daughter and is separated from the mother – the Baby Mama.
Sophia mentions she didn’t feel anything romantic for Bumpy at first – still, he grew on her with his kindness, and after several months, they initiated a relationship.
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Drama Sips in Slowly
Their honeymoon phase is short-lived. They encounter a lot of resistance initially from Sophia’s mum, who doesn’t understand why she’s involving herself with another man right after getting rid of her pregnancy.
On the other hand, she starts getting threatening text messages from Bumpy’s Baby Mama – the mother of his daughter. We’ll know there’s nothing as sweet as a forbidden relationship. They soldier on – and Sophia even gets the guts to talk back to Bumpy’s Ex – after all, he’s assured her she is the one.
Shortly after they start getting intimate, Bumpy reveals his true self. He is distant, and his relationship with his Baby Mama becomes slightly suspicious.
Like many individuals in new relationships, she gives Bumpy the benefit of the doubt – and it is at this point that, as a listener to the Podcast, you begin to get angry with Sophia over her denial and blaring red flags Bumpy is throwing.
Sexual Escapades
During the relationship, it becomes apparent to Sophia that her new boyfriend is a womanizer – he’s been talking to several girls throughout their relationship. He somehow manages to convince her to stay and that he will change.
Still, he takes the stakes higher and somehow convinces Sophia to engage in kinky sexual escapades. Over the next several months, Sophia becomes her girlfriend and wingman and, through popular dating apps, organizes some steamy sessions – a.k.a threesomes.
It is at this point that a new individual appears in their steamy but soon-to-be chilly story – the other girl in their relationship.
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The Thirdwheeler – Co-girlfriend
According to Sophia, they picked up one girl after their short-lived escapades (which she confesses she did not enjoy). She became part of their lives because Sophia noticed that Bumpy liked her.
Soon enough, Sophia gets pregnant, and the other girl in her late 20s becomes part of their household (on and off).
During Sophia’s pregnancy, the older girl becomes handy. She moves in with them – acting as a helpful relative to Sophia (cleaning and grooming) but essentially brought in to relieve Bumpy from his sexual urges. But even with both girls in the household, it is suspected that Bumpy might be up to no good since he doesn’t get intimate with either woman.
Child, Holy Matrimony, Hell – In That Order
Soon enough, Sophia gives birth and is lucky that Bumpy and the other girl are around to help. She gives birth to a daughter, and Sophia’s mum immediately initiates a traditional wedding. Bumpy comes through with his family, and they are officially no longer co-habitors but are customarily married husband and wife.
They skip the honeymoon face and immediately go to hell. After Sophia gives birth – Bumpy unveils his true colors.
He is out of work and goes full into a cheating spree. He’s occasionally out with several women, gets sneaky with his phone, and even spends time at another woman’s house.
Sophia can’t take it anymore and decides to ask for a separation. At this point in her story, we are introduced to Bumpy’s other character – the abuser.
Physical Abuse
Most struggles in modern relationships start through suspicious text messages. Well, Bumpy finds a suspicious message on Sophia’s phone and, out of guilt (of his actions), goes wild and physically abuses Sophia – he hits her.
This begins a string of physical altercations in Sophia’s story. Like in a thriller, it feels like Sophia can not tell her story to anyone to make it believable.
Remember, Bumpy is out of work, and Sophia is the family’s breadwinner. She sometimes gets physically abused to the point she can’t go to work.
Bumpy, who lives in the same compound as his parent,s continues to physically abuse Sophia while hiding that dark side from his mother.
When Sophia decides she’s had enough and wants to leave with her four-month-old baby – the family, Bumpy’s mother and brother, hold her daughter hostage. At one point, standing guard as she breastfeeds her daughter.
According to Bumpy’s parents, Sophia is not submissive and is the cause of the rot in the marriage. Several minor incidents happened during this time, but it seems Sophia is hell-bent on not being overly dramatic in forcefully taking her child out of her husband’s family’s custody.
Custody Fights, Cliffhanger Ending
Sophia finally gets to her senses and confides in her best friend and mother, who initiated her first encounter with law enforcement. She finally reports his husband to the local police – and at this point, they begin the battle to get custody of her daughter and move out of Bumpy’s household.
It takes a lot of effort between the two families to win the daughter finally. She moves out of Bumpy’s home and moves in with her mother.
She seems to be living a peaceful life for the first time in her story. But then Bumpy shows up again. A day before his daughter’s first birthday. He tries to win her back again, but Sophia has endured a lot under his patronage.
It finally hits him that Sophia won’t get back to him, and at this point, he tells her to her face that he wants nothing to do with her or the daughter. The story ends mysteriously on a cliffhanger.
This is the saddest story in a long time. It’s like a bad thriller movie. Where Sophia feels helpless in a world that believes she is the problem.
I’d suggest you get time and listen to this 2-hour Podcast. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. What would you have done if you were in her shoes?