The British prime minister and his chief medical officer probably didn’t expect to be discussing the alleged testicular misfortune of the rapper Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend during a Downing Street news conference. But that’s exactly what happened.
Top doc Chris Whitty used his public platform to criticize Minaj for implying in a tweet that COVID vaccines could cause impotence, saying: “There are a number of myths that fly around, some of which are just clearly ridiculous and some of which are clearly designed just to scare. That happens to be one of them.”
He added that people who pedal such “untruths” should be “ashamed.”
Whitty was referring to earlier comments by Minaj in which she said of the Met Gala — one of fashion’s glitziest events, which she didn’t attend — that organizers “want you to get vaccinated … if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research.”
Why? Well … “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.”
Minaj’s comments went viral and she later clarified her position, saying: “A lot of countries won’t let ppl work w/o the vaccine. I’d def recommend they get the vaccine. They have to feed their families. I’m sure I’ll b vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour, etc.”
After Whitty had spoken, Boris Johnson then became involved, saying: “I am not as familiar with the works of Nicki Minaj as I probably should be. But I am familiar with Nikki Kanani, a superstar GP of Bexley who has appeared many times before you, who will tell you vaccines are wonderful and everybody should get them.”
Little did we know that Minaj is an avid watcher of British coronavirus update press conferences as she retweeted the clip of Johnson, saying: “I love him even tho I guess this was a diss? The accent ugh! Yassss boo!!!”
She then posted a recorded message directed at Johnson in which she used the worst fake British accent since Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins,” saying: “I was just calling to say you were amazing on the news this morning.” She went on to say that she is “actually British,” “went to Oxford,” “went to school with Margaret Thatcher” and would “love to send you my portfolio of my work, since you don’t know much about me. I’m a big, big star in the United States!”
Cardi B was unavailable for comment.