Don Lemon fired back at Nicki Minaj after the rapper hurled a homophobic slur at the journalist over his coverage of an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church.
Tensions between the former CNN anchor and the “Barbie World” rapper escalated when Lemon posted footage of the protest across his social channels on Sunday, Jan. 18.
Protesters could be seen inside the church, interrupting the service led by pastor David Easterwood, who is said to be acting director of ICE’s Saint Paul Field Office.
Lemon’s video went viral, but raised questions as to whether he was at the church to report the news or as an advocate for the protesters.
“The Don Lemon Show” podcast host, who now leads an independent journalism empire, framed his coverage as straight news, but Minaj insisted something else was going on.
The rap star, who is a Trump supporter, took to the X platform on Sunday to criticize Lemon and used a homophobic slur to describe Lemon, who is openly gay.
“DON ‘C—K SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING. HOW DARE YOU? I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION. LOCK HIM UP!!!!!” Minaj posted. She included an image of a Chucky doll from the Child’s Play horror movie franchise.
Lemon unloaded on the rapper in a video he posted to YouTube Monday.
“People have been asking about responding to Nicki Minaj’s unhinged, homophobic tweet about me,” Lemon said in the video. “I usually don’t respond to this stuff, but let me just say this. Nicki Minaj, stop talking about s–t which you know nothing about. This is out of your depth, by the way. And you are a homophobic bigot.”
He then criticized Minaj, who has said she came to the U.S. illegally as a child from her native Trinidad and Tobago, but now has a green card and is married to an American.
“You don’t care about African Americans, you’re not an African American,” Lemon said. “From what I know, you are reportedly an undocumented citizen, so you should be deported under Donald Trump’s rules.”
The news anchor then got personal by reminding Minaj her husband, Kenneth Petty, is a registered “sex offender.”
“And you have nerve to talk about me,” Lemon said. “Nicki Minaj, get a life. Stop being a pick me. You should have put a pick me doll on that damn tweet instead of a Chucky doll because you are nothing but a pick me. I choose not to pick you and so should Black people and so should gay people, [who] shouldn’t buy your music. Clock that!”
As the drama surrounding Lemon’s coverage escalated, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department is investigating the journalist and could pursue charges.
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