On the surface, one would assume that most people suffering from QAnon boomer brain would not be fans of Nicki Minaj, a powerful member of the Hollywood establishment, and prominent ass-eating advocate. Yet in the Year of Our Lord 2021, it seems that the tides have changed. Following the rapper’s social media posts outlining her reluctance to get the Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week, far-right conspiracy theorists are rallying behind Minaj en masse, adopting her as a shining totem of their views and a tool to redpill the masses.
“Anons, prayers for protection for Nicki and her family,” said the caption for one meme posted in support of Minaj, which was recently posted on a popular QAnon thread on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. The meme featured an image of an angel with voluminous wings with the words, “One who is aligned with God is more powerful than millions who are not.” Other posts parsed “breadcrumbs” — conspiracy theorist speak for vaguely revealing “clues” — left by Minaj in her social media posts. “Nicki actually stated on her Twitter last night that she’s going to wear pink to the White House like on Legally Blonde to get answers,” said one poster. “What was interesting to me is in Legally Blonde the main character was Elle Woods. It got me thinking….L. Wood. Lin?,” a reference to Trump’s deranged former attorney who has publicly promoted many far-right conspiracy theories.
Minaj made headlines earlier this week when she tweeted to her more than 22 million followers that she would not be attending the Met Gala, which required all attendees to be vaccinated, because she did not feel she had “done enough research” on the Covid-19 vaccine. She also alleged, with zero factual basis, that her cousin’s friend had become impotent and developed swollen testicles after being vaccinated. (The health minister of Trinidad and Tobago publicly refuted this, saying, “We wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim.”)
Despite facing enormous backlash for promoting dangerous misinformation, Minaj has continued her assault on public health and safety undeterred. Last night, she went on Instagram Live to claim she had been suspended from Twitter (her account is still active) and to rail against the White House, which she claimed had invited her to discuss the safety and efficacy of vaccines. (Press Secretary Jen Psaki offered a slightly different version of events today, telling reporters the White House had “offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she had about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine…it was simply an offer to have a conversation.”) Minaj also lashed out at her detractors, accusing them of suppressing her right to speak her mind and raise concerns about the vaccine. “You can’t just innocently ask a question about something going in your body?,” she said. (It’s worth noting here that the “just asking questions” line of reasoning is common among people in the anti-vaccine community and on the right, who use such rhetoric to avoid criticism from public health advocates — indeed, Tucker Carlson defended her on his show.)
Although many have taken Minaj to task for using her giant platform to undermine the safety and efficacy of vaccines during a time of public health crisis, the controversy has led to her gaining new fans among the coveted demographics of far-right clout-chasers, delusional boomers, and bearded guys who wear sunglasses on their heads and post unhinged vlogs in their trucks. One forum popular among proponents of the conspiracy theory featured 17 posts about Minaj, most of which championed her as a shining example of how someone from the liberal Hollywood elite had been redpilled. “Do your research, fellow patriots. I know you have no interest in her thoughts most of the time, but look at what she’s been posting on Instagram and saying. She is the seed of this redpill,” one post suggested. “She’s saying stuff like ‘Open your fucking eyes’ and ‘I think there’s something bigger going on.’ This is the beginning of the awakening. Put it in front of as many liberal Nicki Minaj fans you possibly can.”
Not everyone in the right-wing conspiracy theorist community has immediately been willing to embrace Minaj. “I’m glad she’s red pilled but I await her renunciation of all her demonic messaging…praying for demons is not good and she has not proven yet that she is not demonically infested still,” said one skeptical poster. Others have correctly pointed out that Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995, and recently pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender as a result of the incident. Minaj has publicly defended her husband, a stance that does not necessarily jibe with QAnon supporters’ staunch belief in defending the world from the evils of Hollywood rapists and sex traffickers. Nonetheless, we offer the heartiest of congratulations to Minaj for her new fans, and hope her publicist is well-rested and drinking lots of water.