Summary

Rapper Nicki Minaj sparked controversy and became a topic of widespread discussion and memes after tweeting unverified claims about COVID-19 vaccines causing impotence, which were linked to misinformation about the pandemic.

Abstract

In the wake of high-profile events like the MTV Video Music Awards and The Met Gala, Nicki Minaj drew attention away from fashion and towards vaccine misinformation. Minaj, who was not present at these events due to personal reasons, took to Twitter to explain her absence and share her reservations about getting vaccinated, citing a story about her cousin's friend in Trinidad who allegedly experienced adverse effects, including impotence and swollen testicles, after receiving the vaccine. This claim was quickly debunked by health experts, suggesting the symptoms were more likely due to an STD. The tweet gained significant traction, with reactions from various public figures, including late-night hosts, political commentators, and health advocates, who criticized Minaj for potentially influencing her 22 million followers with unfounded vaccine concerns. The incident underscores the challenges of combating health disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when spread by influential celebrities.

Opinions

Nicki Minaj's tweets about COVID-19 vaccines are seen as contributing to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
The article suggests that Minaj's influence could have a negative impact on public health efforts to increase vaccination rates.
The author implies that the spread of disinformation on social media platforms is a significant issue, exacerbated by political polarization.
There is a clear stance that Minaj's claims about vaccine side effects are unfounded and should not be taken seriously.
The article points out the irony and humor in the situation, as evidenced by the rapid creation of memes about "Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s balls."

Spreading Covid Misinformation: Nicki Minaj and Her Friend’s Cousin’s Balls

This subject may seem like low-hanging fruit (sorry, not sorry), but I have to discuss it.

With things slowly returning to “normal,” this past week held the MTV Video Music Awards and The Met Gala.. all during New York Fashion Week. Discussions all about celebrity performances, outfits, and possible confrontations have been taking Twitter by storm.

The Met Gala is a yearly fundraising event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Every year, there is a gala theme where designers often invite celebrities, politicians, and influencers to wear their designs. The event is a great way to drum up conversations about fashion, the individual, designers, and more.

On Monday night, Nicki Minaj fans (also known as Barbz) were inquiring why the queen of rap was not at the Met Gala or the VMAs this week. So Nicki took to Twitter to respond to these questions, and the conversation took a turn relatively quickly about vaccines.

Minaj revealed that she was taking care of her child in a series of tweets, so she was not at either event. She then started responding to tweets about how she had not yet been vaccinated and wanted to do more research. However, Nicki did say that she intends to get vaccinated eventually, as her friend Drake is, and Nicki does want to go on tour soon.

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 ???

- Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021

The following tweet will be remembered in the “Twitter Hall of Fame” as memes quickly sprouted about this next post.

“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”

@NICKIMINAJ: September 13th 2021 at 5:44pm.

Quickly, users were able to point out that testicle swelling is not a symptom of COVID-19. Instead, it likely is a result of this cousin’s friend getting an STD.

Fellow Twitter users, celebrities, late-night hosts, and even Political commentators are talking about this tweet. Memes were already being made, and Nicki immediately started defending this tweet in full force.

Can’t believe the Met Gala failed to invite the biggest influencer of our times: Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s balls.

Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) September 15, 2021

I knew this had some dire consequences when Tucker Carlson and Piers Morgan started commenting on this matter. Nicki was also battling with Joy Reid, talking about the dangers of using her platform to spread vaccine misinformation possibly.

With 22 million followers on Twitter, Minaj can reach many fans and individuals who have reservations about getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Barely a week ago, President Joe Biden addressed the nation, particularly the unvaccinated.

“Tonight, I’m asking each of you to reach out to your unvaccinated patients over the next two weeks and make a personal appeal to them to get the shot. America needs your personal involvement in this critical effort. And my message to unvaccinated Americans is this: What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We’ve made vaccinations free, safe, and convenient.”

Remarks by President Biden on Fighting the COVID-?19 Pandemic — September 9th 2021

Disinformation has become a significant problem in the past decade, with websites like FaceBook giving groups like QAnon some credibility to spread conspiracy theories about election fraud, “staged” school shootings, and now around vaccinations and covid misinformation.

Anti-Vax groups have been around long before Donald Trump ever took office. Unfortunately, as we become further divided politically, it has become infinitely harder to get on the same page with this pandemic. Nicki Minaj is not the catalyst for this problem, but her tweets do not help us either. Regardless, I think we can all agree that Nicki’s friend’s cousin’s balls are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Edit from September 16, 2021:

Since posting this article, there have been some tweets that Nicki has sent platforming Tucker and getting into it with Hasan Piker on Twitter. As of now, Nicki’s Twitter has been restricted from tweeting for the time being.

https://youtu.be/a1pUYK8cMVM

Originally published at https://somelikeitpop.com on September 15, 2021.