- Lemon criticizes Minaj for commenting on matters she doesn’t understand, like journalism.
- Minaj accused Lemon of targeting a Christian pastor who is also an ICE agent.
- Lemon says Minaj is not an African American and may be an undocumented citizen.
Don Lemon is not holding back after Nicki Minaj launched a homophobic rant about him on social media.
On Sunday, Jan. 18, Lemon shared video footage from a protest in Minnesota, where activists interrupted a church service where David Easterwood — a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent — is a pastor. The former CNN host is currently working as an independent journalist and has been outspoken about his disdain for the Trump administration.
“Minneapolis activists disrupted a church service where David Easterwood serves as a pastor, according to lawyer and activist @nekimal – Easterwood is also the acting field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in St. Paul, Minnesota,” former CNN anchor Lemon, 59, posted on Bluesky, alongside a video from the protest.
Nicki Minaj, who has recently descended into a right-wing figure, reacted to Lemon’s coverage in a post on X.
“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 wrote in her post, adding a photo of a Chucky doll.
The openly gay journalist, who married his longtime partner Tim Malone in 2024, responded to the rapper in a statement to TMZ, saying, “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.”
The “Starships” rapper has become increasingly outspoken about certain issues in recent months, much to the chagrin of her longtime fans. Back in November, she thanked President Donald Trump in a United Nations speech about religious violence in Nigeria, in which she said “faith is being attacked in too many places” and that “Christians are being targeted.”
Her use of a homophobic slur comes one month after she appeared onstage with Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest. Following the event, she faced further backlash for saying, “Boys, be boys… It’s okay be boys… There’s nothing wrong with being a boy,” which many interpreted as anti-transgender rhetoric.
Lemon responded to Minaj’s comments further in a video on TikTok, throwing some serious criticism at the rapper for her recent antics.
“I usually don’t respond to this stuff, but let me just say this,” Lemon said. “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. “You don’t care about African Americans, you’re not an African American,” Lemon continued. “From what I know, you are reportedly an undocumented citizen, so you should be deported under Donald Trump’s rule.”
As for Nicki, she’s claiming the only reason she called the journalist a “c**k sucker” is to raise awareness, wanting as many people as possible to speak out against Lemon’s ICE coverage.
“LOL!!! And I purposely wrote it that way b/c I knew that would be the only way to get the c–k suckas to post about it,” she wrote. “”They would’ve all collectively ignored the despicable behavior displayed by Lemon head,” Nicki continued. “I’m glad they’re angry. They’re about to get angrier.”
Oh, Onika…
