Twitter has denied claims from rapper Nicki Minaj that the social media giant censored her account. The rapper’s accusations came Wednesday after she posted a video of Fox News host Tucker Carlson defending her expression of concerns about the coronavirus vaccines.
According to an Instagram story on Minaj’s account, the rapper was placed in “Twitter jail” after posting the Tucker Carlson video:
Apparently @NICKIMINAJ is in Twitter jail. Can we get #FreeNicki trending? pic.twitter.com/zPXiSmkTWp
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) September 15, 2021
In a statement to The Daily Beast, however, Twitter said it did not censor Minaj for her tweets: “Twitter did not take any enforcement action on the account referenced.”
Prior to the alleged suspension, several Twitter users scolded Minaj for sharing the video from Carlson’s program. But Minaj did not back away from posting it:
Right. I can’t speak to, agree with, even look at someone from a particular political party. Ppl aren’t human any more. If you’re black & a Democrat tells u to shove marbles up ur ass, you simply have to. If another party tells u to look out for that bus, stand there & get hit https://t.co/OhjQZCbmBa
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 15, 2021
You know how many US Presidents were white supremacists? Oh please. Just stay on topic. Y’all can’t do that. The topic is: asking questions is OK. but let’s make the topic: Nicki talks to white racists so that you can all sleep better tonight. Dummies
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 15, 2021
Later, Minaj retweeted a post saying she will “not be backed into any damn corner.”
When will people learn NICKI MINAJ is NOT going to be backed into any damn corner? Y’all are not going to freely tarnish her name & gallop away unchecked with your twisted agendas/forced narratives. She is taking hold of ALL the POWER & INFLUENCE she holds. PROUD OF YOU NICKI.
— BRiTTY — #SuperBassTo1B (@ChamorritaMaraj) September 15, 2021
This week, Minaj ignited controversy when she said she skipped the Met Gala over its coronavirus vaccine requirement, fearing potential side effects:
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 🙏♥️
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Further igniting controversy, Minaj said her cousin’s friend, back in her native country of Trinidad, allegedly experienced impotency after receiving the coronavirus 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
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Minaj did not specify exactly which vaccine her cousin’s friend received. According to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, the primary vaccine being distributed in the country is the Sinopharm vaccine from China, though impotency has not been listed as a side effect. It should also be noted that the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine pales in comparison to the American vaccines. From Reuters:
A two-dose COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinopharm was 50.4% effective in preventing infections in health workers in Peru when it was seeing a surge in cases fuelled by virus variants, and booster shots can be considered, a study found.
The study involving Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine, which looked at data from February through June at a time when Peru was fighting a brutal second-wave of infections fuelled by the Lambda and Gamma variants of the coronavirus, was conducted on nearly 400,000 frontline health workers in live conditions.
Most of the health workers received two doses of the vaccine.
Minaj’s criticism of the vaccine was later rebuked not only by Dr. Anthony Fauci, but also by the health minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh, who said there has been “no reported side effect” to the vaccine like Minaj described.
“Unfortunately we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim,” Deyalsingh said. “As far as we know at this point in time, there has been no such reported either side effect or adverse event. And what was sad about this is that it wasted our time yesterday trying to track down because we take all these claims seriously, whether it’s on social media, or mainstream media.”
