Nicki Minaj Won’t be ‘Bullied’ Into Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
Nicki Minaj has become a household name for her various hit songs, and she seems to always be in the news. Her latest moment was the comments she made regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The controversy over the vaccine continues. Minaj has even weighed in on the discussion, and some fans are not too happy with how she did it.
What were The Barbz to do?
Queen Nicki Minaj skipped The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s most recent gala to the dismay of The Barbz, her eclectic and vocal fans. The 2021 Met Gala has always been an event where vibrant celebs like Nicki, fashion elites, and others who could afford the $30,000 tickets gathered to celebrate themselves. Instead, The Barbz and others looking for fancy, boundary-pushing looks had to content themselves with Lil Nas X’s lavish displays and AOC’s controversial ‘eat the rich’ dress. Why did she skip attending?
With American casualties from the Coronavirus skyrocketing, many American celebrities considered the optics of attending, and many took to Twitter to air their concerns. Not surprisingly, Minaj also voiced her concerns on the popular social media application and kept her fans guessing.
Nicki Tweeted, “if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research.” This confirmed that she would not be attending the ceremony because of presumed vaccination requirements. Nicki suggested that her choice to be vaccinated would depend on her research and not the elites in the industry. She closed her comment with advice to her followers that advised them to wear masks and did not mention vaccines.
Her choice not to go to the Met Gala was based upon her personal beliefs and what she described as pending research. She did not force her fans to follow the media and CDC’s guidelines about vaccination. This led many to surmise that Nicki was not making an anti-corporate statement or enraged at the premise of the Met Gala and that she chose to direct her fans by example. As the week progressed, Mz. Minaj became increasingly at the center of a storm about vaccination mandates and other sensitive political topics.
The Trinidad Tweet heard round the world
While Nicki appeared to side-step the drama surrounding the Met Gala, which could not have been at a worse time since the 2008 Recession, she was soon under fire again about vaccines. This time, Nicki made a Tweet that was labeled as utterly bizarre, scientific incorrect, and the fodder of late show hosts as well as nearly everyone online. The following Tweet distressed many and lost its anti-bullying sentiment entirely.
Nicki opened with a story about her cousin in Trinidad who allegedly witnessed his friend become impotent after receiving the vaccine. According to Nicki, the cousin’s friend was now impotent and had lost his dream fiancé. While Nicki has been known for her fanciful tales as an entertainer, her comment inspired legions of celebrities, ordinary people, and even Megan McCain (a staunch conservative) to come out of the woodwork and criticize Minaj.
People’s issue with Nicki’s Tweet was that she used her platform to spread an unproven tale that could discourage many from getting a potentially life-saving vaccine. When the major American parties are split on the issue of vaccinations in respect to various political stances, a celebrity using their vast platform to discourage vaccines was received poorly. While American conservatives in some areas discourage the life-saving vaccines, celebrities have primarily been using their spotlight to promote vaccines despite the politics. Sadly, Minaj did not use her commentary as a moment for leadership.
Nicki Minaj gets her comeuppance
The Trinidad Tweet ultimately prompted media sites like CNN to debunk Nicki Minaj, such as the Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, who said the claim by American rapper Nicki Minaj that a person on the Caribbean island suffered swollen testicles was “false.” With the leader in Trinidad clamping down on Nicki’s comments, it’s clear that the Caribbean nation did not appreciate the commentary of Nicki Minaj’s cousin in Trinidad. Worldwide, it seems the effort to vaccinate continues.
The one bright side to this event is that Nicki mentioned that she hoped her fans were “comfortable” with their decisions and not bullied. Although Nicki was utterly wrong on this take about the vaccine, she expressed her opinion and defended herself for the rest of the week.
