Akindele was born on August 24, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria.She is a Yoruba woman. She is the second of three children (two girls and one boy). Her mother was a medical doctor while her father was a retired school principal. She attended Grace Children's School, Gbagada, Lagos State. She obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication (Masscom) from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She earned a Law degree from the University of Lagos.
Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002.Funke Akindele played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student. Funke Akindele's big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie Jenifa.
In 2010, she starred in gangsters two-parter film Omo Ghetto that became a cult-classic with massive influence on Yoruba pop-culture at the time. She has since gone on to produce and star in successful Yoruba films, establishing her status as an undisputed household name in the region
In 2013, Akindele ventured fully into what is known as the English part of the industry, amassing fans in the eastern part of the country and throughout the entire nation.
In an interview in July 2016, Funke Akindele stated she was acting less in the Yoruba film industry at that time because of piracy. Akindele played the lead character in the TV show Jenifa's Diary, alongside Fisayo Ajisola, Falz, Juliana Olayode, and Aderounmu Adejumoke. The show was a soft reboot of the movie Jenifa.The 2018 comedy film Moms at War starred Funke Akindele and Omoni Oboli. In July 2019, Akindele started a new web series, Aiyetoro Town, a spin-off from her popular TV series, Jenifa's Diary. She was the former CEO of Scene One Film Production.
She made her cinematic directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film, Your Excellency.
Alongside Daniel K. Daniel and Blessing Egbe, Akindele was invited to join the 2022 membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences popularly known as the Oscars as voting member.
Funke Akindele is often times compared to American actress, Taraji P. Henson. This comparison recently stirred up reactions after Nigerian content creator and actor, Enioluwa Adeoluwa spoke against the comparisons between both actresses.
On 26 May 2012, Funke Akindele married Adeola Kehinde Oloyede. The couple divorced in July 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.Funke Akindele married Nigerian rapper JJC Skillz in London in May 2016.Her pregnancy rumours were among the top searched results on Google search engine in August 2017. JJC Skillz announced the end of the union between him and the popular actress which lasted six years via his official Instagram handle on June 30, 2022. Funke Akindele gave birth to twin boys in December 2018 and has several step-children.
In April 2020, Akindele was arrested along with JJC Skillz, her husband at that time and charged for having a birthday party for her husband during a mandated lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. She later appeared in a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control video to raise awareness about the virus The actress and her husband were sentenced to a 14-day community service after pleading guilty to violating the lockdown order.
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