{"id":835948,"date":"2026-07-30T13:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835948\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:29:14","slug":"how-netflixs-the-polygamist-made-jonasi-the-topic-of-scorn-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835948\/","title":{"rendered":"How Netflix\u2019s \u2018The Polygamist\u2019 made Jonasi the topic of scorn, debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Netflix\u2019s South African drama \u201cThe Polygamist\u201d has become one of the streamer\u2019s biggest international word-of-mouth hits, climbing the charts far beyond Africa and turning its lead characters into global talking points about relationships and emotional abuse.\n <\/p>\n

\n But the show\u2019s success isn\u2019t just about its shocking plot twists.\n <\/p>\n

\n Adapted from Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi\u2019s 2012 novel of the same name, \u201cThe Polygamist\u201d follows the dark secrets and emotional fallout hidden behind the glamorous life of a man with multiple wives and mistresses.\n <\/p>\n

\n The series has surpassed 23 million views, landing on Netflix\u2019s Top 10 non-English TV rankings across more than a dozen countries.\n <\/p>\n

\n Viewers are using the series to start conversations about emotional abuse, manipulation, narcissism, and why so many people remain in unhealthy relationships. Social media has been flooded with reaction videos, relationship debates, and personal stories inspired by the show\u2019s central character, Jonasi.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s sparked this conversation, this dialogue,\u201d actor S\u2019dumo Mtshali told CNN\u2019s Larry Madowo. \u201cPeople begin to share their own personal stories. That\u2019s the funny thing. They come up to me as Jonasi.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Mtshali plays the charismatic yet manipulative husband at the center of the story. His performance has been so convincing that fans struggle to separate the actor from the character.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019ll own being the most hated man on Netflix \u2026 until Netflix gives me another show,\u201d he laughed.\n <\/p>\n

\n For co-star Gugu Gumede, the show\u2019s success unfolded almost overnight.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt started in South Africa,\u201d she said. \u201cThat weekend was insane. Then every new day you\u2019d wake up, and it was like a new country had been discovered. We were calling each other, saying, \u2018What is going on?\u2019 It took a while for it to sink in.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Gumede said the show\u2019s international reach has introduced South African storytelling to audiences who may never have watched a Zulu-language drama before.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019ve had over 250,000 new followers on Instagram alone,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s gotten us and our work seen by people that would have never thought to watch South African stories.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Despite its title, both actors insist the series isn\u2019t really about polygamy itself.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI knew this isn\u2019t polygamy,\u201d Mtshali said. \u201cThis is dirt. This guy is an absolute beast.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Instead, he approached Jonasi as a man who weaponizes power differently with each woman in his life.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI knew I was going to be different through each of these perspectives \u2014 different to this woman, different to that woman,\u201d he said. \u201cThe story needed to be told.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Gumede believes that\u2019s why audiences connected so deeply.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe biggest conversation it sparked was infidelity versus polygamy,\u201d she said. \u201cJonasi was not a polygamist in the true sense. This was a narcissist \u2014 a serial cheater who sanitized his cheating.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Rather than debating the practice of polygamy, she says viewers began reflecting on the emotional abuse and power dynamics playing out on screen.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt was such a mirror that was held up to society,\u201d Gumede says. \u201cPeople began asking themselves, \u2018Who am I really? What has made me stay in situations that are no longer serving me?\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n That reaction doesn\u2019t surprise Kiaundra Jackson<\/a>, a licensed family and marriage therapist in Los Angeles, who has built a large online following reviewing movies, television shows, and celebrity gossip through a therapist\u2019s lens.\n <\/p>\n

\"S'dumo<\/p>\n

\n Jackson said viewers across cultures recognize something familiar in Jonasi \u2014 not because of polygamy, but because of the emotional manipulation underneath it.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI honestly feel like it resonated because people see themselves in it,\u201d Jackson told CNN. \u201cMaybe they experienced something firsthand. Maybe they witnessed it growing up. Maybe they know somebody who\u2019s experiencing something like this.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Jackson is careful not to casually diagnose fictional characters, noting that mental health labels are often overused online. But she said Jonasi consistently displays behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder, including manipulation, a lack of empathy, an inability to accept criticism, and a need to maintain control over everyone around him.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhat makes it tricky,\u201d she said, \u201cis that people like this are often very charismatic. Behind the scenes, they can become a nightmare.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n She believes that\u2019s why the series resonated beyond South Africa.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cMental health concerns and unhealthy relationship dynamics transcend cultures,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cAnybody can experience these things.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n As \u201cThe Polygamist\u201d has gained momentum, both Mtshali and Gumede say they\u2019ve watched audiences use the series as a springboard for conversations about relationships, trauma, emotional abuse, and why people stay in unhealthy relationships.\n <\/p>\n

\n Strangers regularly stop Mtshali to tell him about people in their own lives.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThey begin to share their own personal stories,\u201d he said. \u201cWhich is great because it sparked this dialogue.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Jackson sees that as one of storytelling\u2019s greatest strengths.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhen people see someone on screen acting exactly like their partner, they realize, \u2018This isn\u2019t just happening to me,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives people language for experiences they may never have been able to name.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m glad characters like this continue to exist,\u201d she added. \u201cThey help people realize they\u2019re not alone.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n For Gumede, the show\u2019s success represents something larger than a one-hit series.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s put a spotlight on South African storytelling,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are asking, \u2018What other South African shows should I watch?\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Mtshali hopes that global success ultimately leads to better working conditions for South African actors, many of whom still don\u2019t receive residual payments when successful shows are licensed internationally.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen how big our storytelling can be,\u201d he said. \u201cNow things need to change.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n If the worldwide response to \u201cThe Polygamist\u201d is any indication, audiences are ready for more stories that spark honest conversations about relationships and abuse. Those conversations may become one of the show\u2019s most enduring legacies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s South African drama \u201cThe Polygamist\u201d has become one of the streamer\u2019s biggest international word-of-mouth hits, climbing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":835949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49,48,75],"class_list":["post-835948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/835949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}