Nicki Minaj Addresses 2021 Covid Claims And Why She Doesn’t Get Political Anymore

Nicki Minaj recently revisited claims that she made about COVID-19 in 2021 while speaking with Vogue in a new interview. Back then, Minaj publicly shared that a friend of her family in Trinidad developed “swollen testicles” after getting vaccinated.

In the December cover, the GRAMMY-nominated artist candidly spoke about becoming a mother, her fifth studio album Pink Friday 2, and why she no longer shares political views after receiving backlash about the pandemic.

“I’m one of those people who doesn’t go with a crowd,” the 41-year-old expressed. “I like to make my own assessment of everything without help from everyone. Every time I talk about politics, people get mad.”

Adding that she’s not interested in following the crowd, she said, “I’m sorry, but I am not going to be told who I should get on social media and campaign for. There’s a lot we don’t know that’s going on in the government, and I don’t think it changes whether you lean to the left or right.”

The statement in question that garnered Minaj a heap of drawback was her 2021 tweet that read, “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.”

It’s important to note that the “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” rhymer did initially tell her followers to “wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.”

Minaj’s statement on claims of “swollen testicles” drew so much attention that Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, chimed in debunking any reports of the alleged symptoms. He clarified that there were “absolutely no reported such side effects or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad.”

The CDC has reported some of the rare after-effects of getting COVID-19 vaccines: “Anaphylaxis (allergic reactions), Guillain-Barré Syndrome (body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis), Myocarditis and Pericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle and/or its lining) and Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (blood clots in large blood vessels and low platelets — blood cells that help form clots).”

Read Nicki Minaj’s full interview with Vogue here.

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