Nicki Minaj hurls homophobic slur at gay journalist Don Lemon after ICE protest

Nicki Minaj has continued her anti-LGBTQ+ push, now targeting gay journalist Don Lemon after his report on a Minnesota church service.

The 43-year-old and 12-time Grammy nominee took to X on Monday (19 January) to post about Lemon in all caps. Her post comes after Lemon reported on a protest at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota.

Lemon live-streamed a report where protesters interrupted a Sunday service over the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the state. Reportedly, the church pastor has ties to ICE, as the Independent cited.

Tensions have been high in Minnesota following the murder of Renee Good, who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.

Minaj used an offensive slur as an apparent nickname for Lemon, before adding that he was “disgusting”. She continued: “HOW DARE YOU?”

Minaj went on to say she wanted him “in jail”, saying: “HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION. LOCK HIM UP!!!!!”

The post was accompanied by an image of a Chucky Doll, an image she’s used before when criticising Democratic governor Gavin Newsom for expressing his support for trans children.

Lemon is gay and married real estate agent Tim Malone in 2024.  

Speaking to TMZ, Lemon shared: “I’m not surprised Nicki Minaj does not understand journalism and is weighing in on matters that are above her capacity.

“However, the more appropriate image for her post is a ‘Pick Me’ Doll,” referring to a person who is overcompensating and needs validation.

Minaj’s inflammatory post comes after she has become a vocal supporter of Republican President Donald Trump and MAGA. Initially, her support of Trump baffled many fans, but since then, she’s leaned further into Republican politics.

‘LOCK HIM UP!’

The singer has been on a tirade of controversies that seemed to mount last year with her anti-LGBTQ+ posts in support of Trump.

In November, Minaj posted a screenshot of Trump’s post that raised concerns about the “existential threat” faced by Christians in Nigeria. Also, she shared she felt “a deep sense of gratitude” for Trump supporting Christianity. 

Fans were quick to pull up Minaj for her Trump support, much of her fanbase being LGBTQ+ listeners.

Responding to the backlash, Minaj wrote to an upset fan: “Imagine hearing that Christians are being persecuted & not being able to have empathy for THEM b/c you are blinded by your own personal obsession with Trump…. This says more about you than him, my darling.”

In another post, also replying to a fan who criticised her, she wrote: “Imagine hearing that Christians are being MURDERED & making it about you being gay.”

Minaj said that she would “adovcate” for LGBTQ+ people “in the same that [she is] advocating for MURDERED CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA”.

Despite the wave of criticism, the singer didn’t back down. She then shared an anti-trans post from the White House soundtracked to her “Va Va Voom” song. 

‘She is not our friend.’

Things only escalated when she stepped on stage at a Turning Point USA event with Erica Kirk. There, she stated her decision to come out and support Trump was because she was “tired of being pushed around”.

She went on to claim that MAGA are the “cool kids” and also that the Trump administration is “full of people with heart and soul”.

She told the crowd: “Boys, be boys… It’s OK. Be boys. There’s nothing wrong with being a boy… How powerful is that? How profound is that? Boys will be boys and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Many in the LGBTQ+ community were deeply unhappy with Minaj’s statement. Then, a five-year-old clip of RuPaul’s Drag Race star Heidi N Closet was unearthed, where she branded the singer “MAGA Minaj”.

Heidi also posted on X, tagging Minaj: “So it was more then [sic] just my hair and makeup you hated.”

Minaj hit back, correcting her grammatical use of “then”, writing “than”. Her comment was posted alongside an image of her on the Turning Point stage, which had seemingly been edited.

Since Minaj’s continued anti-LGBTQ+ posts, many have pushed back against her. Notably, Pride UK stated: “She is not our friend.”

“Dear LGBTQ+ Venues…Please refrain from playing any Nicki Minaj Music. She is not our friend #boycottnickiminaj,” the post read. It has received more than 1.8 million views and has over 20,000 likes. Comments on the post were turned off.