The White House would like to have a word or two with Nicki Minaj after the rapper revealed on Monday she didn’t attend the Met Gala due to the event’s vaccination requirements, which she has ongoing concerns about.
On Wednesday, Minaj said that due to the social media frenzy caused by her statements, she’d been asked if she’d like to pay a visit to Washington, D.C. to find out more about the vaccine first hand. “The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction,” she tweeted. “Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human.” However, a White House official clarified to People that they haven’t invited Minaj to the White House so much as offered to give her a brief public health education over the phone. They said, “As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.”
The government’s offer to provide the “Megatron” musician with some additional information comes after she announced on Twitter on Monday that she had recently contracted the coronavirus, but remained skeptical of the efficacy of the vaccine. “I was prepping for VMAs then I shot a video & guess who got COVID?,” she wrote. “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.” The Grammy winner also said that she “had the exact same symptoms as ppl with the damn vaccine.” She went on to say that if she gets vaccinated, it would not be because the Met mandates it, but rather, “once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now.”
She also claimed that her cousin in Trinidad wouldn’t get the vaccine because his friend had and became impotent as a result due to a side effect of swollen testicles. However, Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has since debunked that claim, saying that it is “false” and there are no records of anything like that occurring. Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci also said of Minaj’s statements, “I’m not blaming her for anything, but she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis except as a one-off anecdote, and that’s not what science is all about.”
— Natalie Portman on Britney Spears and the Scent of Love
— Behind Queen Elizabeth’s Surprising Wit
— Are the Literary Jonathans Still Relevant?
— The True Story of a Hollywood Partnership Built and Destroyed by Money, Sex, and Celebrity
— The Best Shampoo Bars to Lighten 2021’s Environmental Load
— Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Make the Most of Summer’s End
— The Most Influential Pop-Rock Band Ever? The Monkees!
— Prince William and Kate Middleton’s “Normal” Parenting Tips
— From the Archive: Meet the Women Who Domesticated the Rolling Stones
— Sign up for “The Buyline” to receive a curated list of fashion, books, and beauty buys in one weekly newsletter.