TOPLINE
Rapper and new Trump ally Nicki Minaj made wild allegations against celebrities including Jay-Z and Chrissy Teigen, and blasted the Democrats across dozens of tweets on X after Grammys host Trevor Noah called her out in his monologue for fraternizing with President Donald Trump at the White House.
By Conor Murray, Forbes Staff.
KEY FACTS
Minaj, who was not in attendance at the Grammys, slammed the music awards show as a “ritual” and said “God almighty will reveal himself to them” in a post on X, adding: “Every tongue that rises up against me in judgement shall be condemned & put to shame.”
The rapper began her rant, which spanned about two dozen posts on X, shortly after Noah dissed her in his opening monologue, joking she was not at the event because she was “still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,” before doing a Trump impression.
Minaj made several political tweets, urging LGBTQ people and Christians not to vote for Democrats—whom she called “demoncrats”—alleging they have “demons inside of them” and are “flying in immigrants to vote b/c they reneged on all the promises they made to African Americans”—a popular canard of Trump’s most loyal followers.
She made unfounded allegations against various celebrities, including billionaire rapper Jay-Z, whom she called a “child predator” and suggested he was involved with the late singer Aaliyah and his wife Beyoncé when they were minors (Jay-Z and Aaliyah are not confirmed to ever have been together, and Beyoncé has said she met Jay-Z when she was 18 and began dating when she was 19).
Minaj also attacked singer Lizzo, whom she said “lost 300 lbs just to sell 300 albums.”
Minaj, who for months had been teasing fans she would release new music in March, also said in a post she would not release an album until she renegotiates her contract, threatening to expose Billboard for “sabotage,” though she did not elaborate.
WHO ELSE DISSED MINAJ?
The crowd had a loud reaction to Noah’s joke about Minaj, which appeared to be a mix of cheers and laughs. As Noah made his joke about Minaj at the Grammys, Chrissy Teigen, seated behind him, gave a thumbs-up and waved to the camera after Noah said Minaj was not in attendance. After the show, Teigen posted a screenshot of her thumbs-up reaction to her Instagram story. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office X account also joked in an all-caps post that Kid Rock and Minaj, both vocal Trump allies, were “snubbed” at the Grammys, saying both are “okay artists who are desperate for attention.” At a Friday night tribute to Mariah Carey hosted by MusiCares, the non-profit arm of the Grammys, actor Billy Porter slammed Minaj in a red carpet interview: “F— her. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” Weeks earlier, Minaj was the subject of another awards show joke. Critics Choice Awards host Chelsea Handler joked she hasn’t been invited to a Black person’s house since watching the movie “Sinners”—“except Nicki Minaj’s, but who wants to go over there?”
TANGENT
Trump also took aim at Noah in a post on Truth Social following the Grammys. “The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable,” Trump said, calling Noah “almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards.” Trump also slammed a joke Noah made suggesting every artist wants to win Song of the Year “as much as Trump wants Greenland,” adding, “because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.” Trump said in his post he has “never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close,” accusing Noah of making a “false and defamatory statement” and threatening to sue him.
KEY BACKGROUND
Minaj’s X posting spree follows a pivot to right-wing politics, which culminated in her appearing alongside Trump at a Washington, D.C. event last week announcing Trump Accounts, investment accounts for American children. At the event, Trump invited Minaj onstage, where she said she is the president’s “number one fan,” adding the “hate” she receives for supporting Trump “actually motivates me to support him more.” After the event, Minaj flaunted a gold card bearing Trump’s face—which Trump has said will grant U.S. residency for those who pay $1 million—on social media, stating she is “finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President.” But the White House said the card is a “memento” rather than a “visa document,” the New York Times reported. In recent months, Minaj has also spoken with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz about violence against Christians in Nigeria, though some experts have disputed claims Christians are disproportionately targeted in the country, and she also spoke with Erika Kirk at a Turning Point USA event. Minaj attended the premiere of “Melania,” a documentary on First Lady Melania Trump, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last week. Minaj previously critiqued Trump in 2020, criticizing “children being taken away from their parents when they came into this country” in a Rolling Stone interview, which Minaj said bothered her because she is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago.
