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Say what you want about Nicki Minaj: the rapper knows how to fan the flames of controversy.
Just call her Miss Information Barbie when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.
Minaj’s viral tweets about vaccine reluctance this week – mainly her squeaky quote from an anecdotal experience of a friend of a cousin with swollen testicles – made her the subject of news broadcasts by cable and Twitter memes and the punchline for a lot of late-night jokes.
Even Trinidadian television covered it, with a news anchor ridiculing the story about his cousin a friend’s “flat tire”.
The tweets also earned him a lot of criticism, catching the attention of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as well as Dr Anthony Fauci. The leading US coronavirus expert quickly debunked the idea that the vaccine affects the reproductive system.
Minaj claimed the backlash from brewing also prompted Twitter to lock her account down on Wednesday afternoon, so she continued her thoughts on her Instagram Stories, writing that she couldn’t tweet anymore and was in “Twitter jail” because “They didn’t like what I was saying.”
The social media platform, however, disputes this.
“Twitter took no enforcement action on the referenced account,” a company spokesperson said in an email to The Times on Wednesday.
It should be noted that Minaj said she would likely get the shot to go on tour, and she recommended the injections to anyone who needed a jab to keep their jobs.
In fact, his hesitation apparently had little to do with his Trinidadian cousin’s friend suspected side effects, but rather with his own COVID-19 experience. She said she contracted the disease, which forced her to stay away from her young son, and does not want to repeat the brutal experience.
Despite her presumed natural immunity, she said she wanted to do her research before getting the vaccine.
Unfortunately, this was not the result of his viral Twitter feed; instead, it was his position as a citizen-researcher and his bizarre friend-of-a-cousin anecdote.
Monday’s tweet to its more than 22 million subscribers prompted medical experts to speak out on vaccine conspiracy theory to debunk misinformation from people with high social media followers.
A representative for Minaj did not immediately respond to the Times’ request for comment.
Responding to a question from CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday about whether there was a link between the three vaccines approved in the United States – Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson – and reproductive problems in men or women, Fauci said said, “The answer to that, Jake, is a definite no.
“There is no evidence that this is happening, nor any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen,” added the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“I don’t blame her for anything,” Fauci continued after lamenting the misinformation about COVID-19 on social media, “but she should think twice before spreading information that really has no basis.”
CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta said many people have “concurrent problems” – health problems that could occur around the same time as a vaccination but have nothing to do with the injections. “Vaccines causing swollen testicles is not a thing,” he said.
“Nicki Minaj says she wants to do her research – there’s a lot of research out there. The journal of the American Medical Assn. specifically looked at fertility issues and found no fertility issues, ”said Gupta, who noted that impotence and infertility have been unfounded fears since the vaccines were rolled out. “I appreciate that she wants to do the research. It is over there. I wish her cousin’s friend good luck, but it is not related to the [COVID-19] vaccine.”
Back on Twitter, Minaj continued to shoot. She provided an ironic update on Tuesday on the cousin who unexpectedly found himself in the spotlight.
“My #cousin who has #TheFriend just texted me telling me to call him. * Bite Nails *,” she wrote. supposed to be a secret …. If any of them asks, you haven’t heard from me. OK ? * look @ text.
The Grammy-nominated rap star also attacked MSNBC’s Joy Reid with a racist insult for berating her for her vaccine skepticism. Reid was disappointed that Minaj was using his heavy platform “to encourage our community not to protect themselves and to save their lives.”
“My God, sister, you can do better than that. You have this platform – it’s a blessing you got it, ”Reid said on his show“ The ReidOut ”. “People listen to you – and they listen to you more than they listen to me.”
The rapper responded with insult and called Reid a homophobic liar, tracing receipts from the Reid blogging scandal in 2018. “I guess I can participate in the reindeer games too, can’t I? People can be on TV and lie to me, I can report on them too, can’t I? Minaj tweeted. “It doesn’t have to be truths. It can be half truths.
Then the hosts of influential morning radio show “The Breakfast Club” called Reid and reminded him that Minaj had finally said she would get the shot. (But remember, that wasn’t the key point in all of this.)
Minaj also found unlikely allies among conservatives: Fox News’ Tucker Carlson came to his defense, as does expert Candace Owens. But when Minaj’s followers called her for their support by retweeting Carlson’s segment, Minaj did not have it.
Meanwhile, across the pond, polarizing British journalist Piers Morgan praised Minaj’s news story as it was addressed by England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty.
“Professor Whitty clashing with the horrible @NICKIMINAJ (one of the rudest little ladies I’ve ever met) isn’t the latest news I expected today – but it is is welcome. She peddles lies that will cost lives ”, Morgan tweeted.
“Sir, I have never met you. I know… we all look alike, ”Minaj tweeted in response. “” Crudest little lady. ” I like it. It has a special sound. Thanks Pierce. I love the accent. I would like to come and discuss. Scones. Tea. Clown nose and big red shoes for you. Lmk baby, ”she wrote. She then called him as well and corrected her own misinformation about their history with a choice tweet loaded with expletives. (Minaj has since updated her Twitter bio to call herself “Crudest Little Madam.”)
But Morgan parried, tweeting that they had indeed met, on “America’s Got Talent”, and that all UK names must look the same because she got it wrong.
Unsurprisingly, Minaj’s statements were sensational fodder for the late-night circuit. Stephen Colbert spoofed his hit “Super Bass” with “Super Balls” from “The Late Show” and Jimmy Kimmel said he wanted to interview his cousin on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.
The rapper retweeted the snippets from the late show and said she loved Colbert, but said she “never cited” the swollen testicular anecdote as a reason she didn’t get the vaccine. .
“The lie is so funny / entertaining yet. I’d say a little mean to this lady, but I really like Stephen Colbert, ”she said of the parody, which opened with CNN’s Brianna Keilar asking Gupta about the controversy.
As for Kimmel’s interview request, she tweeted that her cousin was “willing to talk for a fair price.”
On Wednesday afternoon, or what Minaj called “#BallGate day 3,” the rapper claimed she was invited to the White House to discuss her stance.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed all in pink like Legally Blonde so they know I’m serious. I will ask questions on behalf of the people who have been laughed at for being just human, ”she tweeted, adding,“ I do, baby. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask, leave them in the comments. You will see it in real time with complete transparency.
It was not clear if she was joking about the White House invitation, but she apparently had correspondence with the Biden administration.
“As we have done with others, we offered a call to Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer her questions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” an official said on Wednesday. the White House in an email to The Times.
Times writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
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