Nicki Minaj is mocked for wild claim about vaccines and IMPOTENCE as she defends not getting the jab

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Nicki Minaj was forced to skip two high-profile events after first catching Covid while prepping for Sunday’s VMAs and then failing to get vaccinated for the Met Gala on Monday.

The rapper, 38, detailed her health decisions on Twitter Monday afternoon, telling fans how she contracted Covid while also revealing how she’s still ‘doing research’ about the vaccine.

The mother-of-one also criticized Met organizers over their inoculation requirements, saying: ‘If I get vaccinated it won’t be for the Met.’

She later softened her stance, saying she’d likely get the shot once it’s required for her to travel and tour.

But the star then shared a wild claim about her ‘cousin’s friend’ becoming ‘impotent’ after getting the vaccine. 

Last month a spokesperson for the Gala explained their vaccination policy, saying: ‘Currently, all attendees at The Met Gala on September 13 must provide proof of full vaccination and will also be expected to wear masks indoors except when eating or drinking.’   

Nicki shared she had Covid after news she was skipping the Gala began to circulate online.

Responding to a dismayed fan who noticed Minaj hadn’t made a public appearance in a year, she tweeted: ‘I have an infant with no nannies during COVID. who mad? Not risking his health to be seen. One yaself.’

She welcomed son last year and has kept a very low profile since.

The Chun Li rapper elaborated in another tweet, saying: ‘I was prepping for vmas then i shot a video & guess who got COVID?’ 

‘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?’

She went on to question the efficacy of the vaccine, saying: ”Get vaccinated?’ Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile.’

Cases of vaccinated people coming down with the virus – known as ‘breakthrough infections’ – are considered rare, but still occur and can result in severe illness, hospitalization or even death, according to the CDC.

Further addressing her hesitation towards the vaccine in another tweet, Minaj wrote: ‘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.’ 

Minaj went on to say that she wasn’t discouraging others to get the jab, especially those who need the shot to work.

‘I know babe,’ she wrote to one fan who said they were mandated by work. ‘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.  

She went on to add that she’ll likely get vaccinated in the future when/if it is required for travel, saying: ‘I’m sure I’ll b vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour, etc.’

But hours later Minaj was peddling conspiracy theories, tweeting: ‘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.’ 

Medical professionals were quick to push back at Nicki’s wild claim, with Dr. Leana Wen telling People: ‘It is just not true that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is associated with infertility in either males or females.’ 

‘In fact, we know that there are actually consequences, if somebody gets COVID-19, in terms of the impact on the male reproductive system,’ she says, adding: ‘There have been studies that have linked scrotal discomfort and low sperm count to having COVID-19. In addition, there has been an association between scrotal swelling and congestion to having COVID-19. So, to emphasize, these are not associated with the vaccine but with the disease.’

Still, Minaj seemed to be about discourse, also responding to fans who said they had good experiences with the shot.

‘That’s amazing babe. This is the norm,’ she wrote to one who said she was Covid-free after getting pricked. 

Continuing the conversation, Minaj posted a poll asking which vaccine people were taking.

But after several hours, she appeared to be exhausted, writing: ‘You have been tweeting about me for an hour. You not #Tide yet? Mad I’m my own person? Mad the internet can’t scare me away?’

‘It’s always someone who looks like you. Polls are very much a part of research. Real experiences, Open dialogue, etc. Go put on your red clown tingz.’ 

A Twitter representative later told reporter Donie O’Sullivan: ‘Nicki Minaj’s tweets don’t break Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation rules.’

Following the comments, MSNBC host Joy Reid hit out at Minaj during an episode of The Reid Out on Monday. 

She said: ‘People like Nicki Minaj, I have to say this, you have a platform, sister, that is 22 million followers, okay? I have two million followers. You have 22 million followers on Twitter. For you to use your platform to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives, my God, sister, you could do better than that,’ Reid said. 

‘You got that platform. It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing that you got that. That people listen to you, and they listen to you more than they listen to me. 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 is your fan, I’m so sad that you did that. So sad that you did that, sister. Oh, my God.’ 

Several major names missed out on this evening’s Met Gala red carpet – begging the question of whether this year’s strict COVID protocols prompted some of the event’s regulars to sit out this year’s soiree.

In the first Met Gala since Vogue canceled the event amid the pandemic last May, all guests were required to show masks and provide proof of vaccination, in keeping with New York City‘s mandate for entry to indoor dining, indoor fitness facilities, and indoor entertainment including concerts, movie theaters, and museums.

Ahead of the event, quite a few Met Gala regulars announced or hinted that they would be staying home as well as Nicki, including Kylie Jenner, Sarah Jessica Parker, Andy Cohen, and Zendaya.

While some of the stars have cited prior engagements, filming schedules, and the fact that the event is ‘a lot to take on,’ their absence may have some fans wondering if it was in fact the vaccine or mask mandate that kept them sidelined.  

Then there were the stars who simply failed to show up, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Bella Hadid – all of whom had been expected to attend. 

Kylie Jenner has been at every Met Gala since her first in 2015, but she said she is not making it to the Met Gala tonight.

‘I’m so sad I couldn’t make it this year. I can’t wait to see all the looks,’ she wrote on Instagram stories. 

An inside source told Page Six her reason for skipping the Met Gala is that it’s just too much time and effort. 

‘Kylie’s pregnant and it’s a lot to take on, going to such a public event,’ the source said.

Another said she had previously been approved to attend it but decided to back out because of her pregnancy. 

It’s unclear whether or not Jenner has received the jab, though it would have also technically been required to the REVOLVE Gallery at New York Fashion Week earlier this week.

Jenner hasn’t spoken about the COVID-19 vaccine one way or another, but did raise eyebrows in 2016 when she shared a meme that appeared to be anti-vax. 

While the youngest Jenner sister failed to make an appearance, the family was still well represented at the event, which was attended by her mother Kris, and her sisters Kendall and Kim.   

Sarah Jessica Parker is a Met Gala mainstay, often wearing one of the more buzzed-about looks of the night.

But her frequent date, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, said he was staying home this year — and hinted that she was too busy to go, either.

‘I’m taking a year off,’ he told Access Hollywood. ‘My date is filming this year. She’s filming ‘And Just Like That…’

Parker hasn’t explicitly shared whether or not she is vaccinated, but in May she seemed to share a pro-vaccine stance by posting a link to a New York Times article titled: ‘How a Javits Center Vaccine Nurse Spends Her Sundays.’

As for Cohen, he’s also kept his vaccine status to himself — but when his show Watch What Happens Live welcomed back an in-studio audience in June, it was announced that all audience members must be vaccinated, according to Variety.

Zendaya also admitted that she isn’t making it to the event, which is co-chaired by her Dune costar Timothee Chalamet.

‘My fans are going to be very upset with me,’ she told Extra TV. 

‘I will unfortunately not be able to attend because I’ll be working for Euphoria,’ she continued.

‘I got my time off to come here and do this Venice [Film Festival] experience, which has been really, really special.’

In July, Zendaya was caught on camera getting vaccinated at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. 

Dua Lipa made her Met Gala debut in 2019, but she allegedly had to bow out of this year’s event because she’s across the pond working on her first feature film. 

The 25-year-old Grammy winner is in the UK shooting director Mathew Vaughn’s upcoming thriller Argylle, TMZ reported last week.   

According to the outlet, she was invited to this year’s Met Gala, and she would have gone if it wasn’t for her movie schedule.  

It’s unclear if the English singer has been able to get vaccinated, but she plans on getting the shot. In Vanity Fair‘s July/August 2021 cover story, the magazine noted her ‘commitment to waiting her turn for the coronavirus vaccine.’

Whether or not Lipa’s boyfriend Anwar Hadid — the brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid — was invited to this year’s Met Gala remains unknown. 

Hadid, who attended with his family in 2017, made headlines in late December when he said he would ‘absolutely not’ be getting the COVID-19. However, he later insisted he is not an anti-vaxxer.  

‘I’m not ‘anti-vax.’ I think everyone has to be careful with each vaccine individually looking at positive and possible negative effects,’ said the 22-year-old, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease, 

Hadid added that he has indeed ‘taken vaccines before.’  

Much like her sister Gigi, Bella Hadid has long been a regular on the Met Gala red carpet – and she has also become known as one of the best-dressed sartorial stars of the evening. 

However fashion fans were left wondering what the 24-year-old might have worn when she chose to skip out on the glittering event. 

Bella has maintained a relatively low profile through this season’s New York Fashion Week; she hosted a star-studded event to celebrate her new role as a co-founder of wellness beverage Kin, however she has otherwise avoided big events and fashion shows. 

Sister Gigi has made multiple appearances both on and off the catwalk – however her younger sibling has been noticeably absent. 

Bella has yet to publicly state whether or not she has received the COVID vaccine, however she would likely have had to have received the shot in order to attend the Kin Euphorics event that she hosted last week, per New York City regulations.  

Lady Gaga was without a doubt one of the standout stars at the 2019 Met Gala – where she wowed fellow guests and fans alike by pulling off an incredible costume change while walking her way down the carpet. 

Having stepped out onto the carpet in a voluminous bright pink dress, she then removed it to reveal a sleek black gown underneath. 

Moments later, the 35-year-old had whipped off the black dress in order to reveal another fuchsia pink design, which she then removed to reveal a black lingerie set, which was complete with a pair of saucy stockings. 

But fans who were hoping to see her pull off another sartorial surprise at this year’s gala were disappointed when she failed to make an appearance. 

It is unlikely that Gaga’s failure to attend the event was related to the Met Gala’s COVID restrictions, particularly given that she has been an outspoken advocate for the vaccine, however she has failed to offer an explanation for her absence. 

The singer was also a no-show at the VMAs on Sunday night – which many of the Met Gala guests also attended – and she has maintained a relatively low public profile in recent months, suggesting that she is attempting to stay under the radar. 

Singer Katy Perry has made quite the name for herself as one of the most over-the-top guests at the Met Gala – particularly when it came to the 2019 event, where she modeled a chandelier-shaped outfit on the carpet and then dressed up as a human burger for an after party. 

The off-the-wall ensembles made headlines around the world and cemented the 36-year-old’s status as one of the most hotly-anticipated Met Gala attendees. 

So her absence at this year’s event was incredibly noticeable – particularly as she failed to indicate publicly that she would not be attending. 

The singer has not publicly shared whether or not she has received the COVID vaccine, however she has openly advocated for wealthy western countries to donate more shots to poorer countries. 

Katy joined her beau Orlando Bloom and a long list of other stars – including Billie Eilish and Selena Gomez – in signing a UNICEF letter to the G7 leaders, calling for them to donate more vaccine supplies to the organization’s COVAX initiative.  

Katy has had a busy summer, enjoying several getaways with her partner Orlando Bloom, and attending multiple fashion events – including a Louis Vuitton soiree in July. 

She also announced earlier this year that she will begin a residency in Las Vegas – named Play – at the end of December, so it may well be that she has started her preparations for that, leaving her unable to attend. 

Despite making an appearance at Sunday night’s VMAs in New York City, singer Madonna chose to skip out on the Met Gala – and she did not given any indication to her fans as to the reason for her choice. 

The 63-year-old made quite the splash at the award ceremony, where she stripped down on-stage to reveal a very risque leather ensemble, having walked out in front of the crowds in a long Burberry trench coat.

She then gave her look a funky boost once again by adding a wedding veil to the bondage-esque body suit before stepping out at an afterparty at Manhattan hotspot 1 Oak. 

But while the Met Gala red carpet would have provided the perfect place for Madonna to once again express her sartorial creativity, the singer failed to make an appearance at the star-studded soiree and was instead busy sharing photos and videos from the VMAs on Instagram just as the event began. 

Much like many of the other A-listers who missed out on this year’s gala, Madonna has not publicly shared her own vaccination status – however her appearance at the VMAs suggests that she has received the shot. 

She has also been an outspoken supporter of the vaccine – and in April last year, she revealed that she had donated $1 million to Bill and Melinda Gates’ foundation in order to fund research for the COVID shot.  

Tom Brady, 44, and Gisele Bundchen, 41, attended their first Met Gala together in 2008, and they’ve made a red carpet appearance almost every year since.  

However, the timing of this year’s postponed event is rumored to have been an issue for the couple because of Brady’s football schedule. 

The Met Gala is typically held in May, when the legendary quarterback is free, but football season has already started. 

Vaccination is not an issue for Brady, who has already gotten the shot. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians revealed earlier this month that 100 percent of his team is vaccinated.The Buccaneers are scheduled to play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 19, meaning Brady is likely busy training with his team in Florida.