Unless you've just come back from a silent meditation retreat, you know that it's been a rough time being a Barb lately.
On Monday, Nicki Minaj revealed she contracted coronavirus while prepping for her VMAs performance, which was later canceled. When it was suggested she should get vaccinated, she cited Drake's breakthrough COVID case as reason against it.
The "Barbie Tingz" rapper also explained why she was absent from the Met Gala, which required attendees to be vaccinated. "If I get vaccinated, it won't [be] for the Met," she tweeted. "It'll be once I feel I've done enough research."
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 🙏♥️
Because, naturally, experts and scientists from all around the globe studying the virus round-the-clock and developing the vaccine are not research enough.
To make matters worse — somehow — Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's testicles got involved:
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
The internet then took this alleged testimony and ran with it, expertly churning out a bunch of related memes — because of course it did.
This is the stuff memes are made out of, people.
The memes kept growing (I stand by this pun, IDC) so much so that the government of Trinidad and Tobago issued a response. "As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad," Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh said in a televised COVID-19 update earlier today. "Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim."
View this video on YouTube
Sorry, but I'm absolutely SCREAMING at the entirety of this statement.
So, in the latest update, the Queen of Rap tweeted that she was contacted by the White House and will be going to learn more about the vaccine.
"The White House has invited me & I think it's a step in the right direction," the Trinidadian-born rapper wrote. "Yes, I'm going. I'll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I'll ask questions on behalf of the people who have been made fun of for simply being human. #BallGate day 3."
The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human. #BallGate day 3 https://t.co/PSa3WcEjH3
There is much to discuss in this tweet — most notably, the iconic Legally Blonde reference and the term #BallGate.
Nicki also promised fans "full transparency" and offered to ask questions on behalf of individuals who wanted to know more about the vaccine.
I’m doing it, babe. If you guys have questions you’d like me to ask, leave in the comments. You’ll see it in real time with full transparency. 🎀 https://t.co/ABrAjdI1qE
Following, ahem, #BallGate, the rap star took to Instagram to announce that she is currently in "Twitter jail." She wrote on her story that she was in the process of making a Twitter poll before she received a message saying she wasn't allowed to tweet.
Nicki Minaj is currently in Twitter Jail.
On an Instagram Live, Nicki said she's "never coming back" to the social media platform.
Welp! While I wish the Oval Office visit was under better circumstances than publicly professed vaccine hesitancy, I'm glad that Nicki is taking the steps to (hopefully) get vaccinated and encourage more people to do so!
