Nicki Minaj’s fans are standing by their Queen in the form of a protest in light of the recent backlash the rapper has received for raising concerns and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Wednesday (Sept. 15), over a dozen Barbz, a.k.a. Nicki Minaj’s fans, converged outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta to defend Nicki’s viewpoints about the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Nicki Minaj told me the truth. [Dr.] Fauci lied to me,” the protesters chanted, according to a report on CBS46 Atlanta.
“Nicki, the queen of rap, stand up. Nicki, multiple platinum plaques, stand up and said, ‘I’m questioning the vaccine’ and we should all question this vaccine,” said one Nicki fan when asked why they were there to protest against the CDC.
This in response to Nicki’s tweets a few days ago in which she expressed her vaccine hesitancy. During an impromptu Q&A session on her Twitter account on Monday (Sept. 13), the 38-year-old rapper explained to her Barbz why she didn't attend the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards the prior night and the Met Gala on Monday. Nicki revealed that she contracted COVID-19 while shooting a video and had to quarantine herself. She also shared her stance on the coronavirus vaccinations and planned to do more research on the vaccines.
"They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one," she tweeted.
Nicki also shared that a friend of her cousin apparently had adverse side effects from the vaccine. It's unclear which of the three available vaccines—Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson–that the friend of Nicki's relative received, but the Queens, N.Y. rhymer said that he became impotent.
"My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied," she tweeted.
Since those tweets, Nicki has been receiving more backlash than praise for her stance on the vaccine. Last night, Nicki had to address the White House, who denied her claim that she was offered an invitation to meet with the Joe Biden administration to discuss her vaccine hesitancy. Twitter also denied the MC's claims that she was banned from tweeting.
"Do y’all think I would go on the internet and lie about being invited to the fucking White House. Like what? Do you guys see what is happening right now?” she stated in her 14-minute IG video.
Meanwhile, CDC Scientist and Misinformation expert Dr. Neetu Abad told CBS 46 that the vaccine doesn’t affect men or women’s reproductive systems. “We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and they don’t affect men or women’s fertility,” she said.
Dr. Abad also added that fans should not listen to celebrities for medical advice. She also thinks celebrities like Nicki, who has a large following on social media, have a responsibility to the public.
“Throughout this pandemic, we have urged platforms small and big to take care [of] what they are conveying around COVID-19 vaccines, because we know that can be impactful around people’s behavior,” Dr. Abad told the news station.
You can watch CBS46 Atlanta news reports on Nicki Minaj’s fans protesting outside of the CDC headquarters in Atlanta below.