Story at a glance:
- Nicki Minaj expressed skepticism about the vaccine on Twitter.
- The artist said a friend of her cousin allegedly had side effects like “swollen” testicles from the vaccine.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson and hip hop icon Nicki Minaj have now voiced similar vaccine-hesitant positions, with the conservative TV host recently supporting Minaj’s tweets about why she has not gotten the vaccine.
On his program last night, Carlson said Minaj’s comments seemed “sensible.” Among her statements, Minaj gave an anecdote that she knew someone had adverse side effects after getting the vaccine.
Minaj was absent during the VMAs after contracting COVID-19 and has been out of the public eye recently to stay home with her new baby. The artist also did not attend Monday’s Met Gala because the event required vaccination, and Minaj tweeted in the hours before the event that she was not ready to get the vaccine.
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“Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama? ‘get vaccinated’ Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile,” Minaj said.
In a series of tweets, Minaj noted that she is not opposed to the vaccine, saying people who need it for work-related requirements should get vaccinated, and she admitted that she will likely need the shot because she wants to eventually go on tour.
However, Minaj also tweeted that she would get the vaccine once she’s “done the research” and said a friend of her cousin in Trinidad had swollen testicles after getting the jab.
There is no link between one’s testicles becoming swollen and the COVID-19 vaccine.
“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 tweeted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentions the vaccine could cause muscle pain, fatigue and chills, but it does not say one would experience swollen genitals.
The swollen testicles comment garnered both laughs and concerns, with some posting memes and others pointing out that Minaj is spreading misinformation to her millions of followers.
“You have a platform, sister, that is 22 million followers,” MSNBC host Joy Reid said, going on to add, “For you to use your platform to put people in the position of dying from a disease they don’t have to die from? Oh, my God. As a fan, as a hip-hop fan, as somebody who was your fan, I am so sad that you did that.”
In response to Reid’s comment, Minaj called her “a lying homophobic coon” for omitting that certain info.
Although Minaj is not backing down from her comments, she also expressed that she believes she is being taken out of context, according to The Daily Dot.
As Changing America previously reported, Carlson similarly thinks people are being “bullied” into taking a vaccine, with the host also falsely claiming that people are being forced to “take drugs they don’t need or want.”
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