Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is currently embroiled in a public spat with Nicki Minaj after he employed a gay slur while calling for jail time for those who livestreamed protests against ICE during a church service in Minnesota.
Minaj retaliated on social media, referring to Lemon in a derogatory manner and criticizing his livestreaming of the protest as “disgusting.” She expressed her desire to see him jailed, insisting that he wouldn’t behave this way towards another religion.
In a post, she exclaimed, “I want that thug in jail!!!!!” accompanied by an image of the infamous horror character Chucky. Her swift call for Lemon’s arrest stemmed from his homophobic tweets.
Lemon clapped back on TikTok, labeling Minaj as “pathetic” and “homophobic,” and highlighting her own past regarding immigration as hypocritical.
He remarked, “Nicki Minaj, stop talking about things you don’t understand. You’re out of your depth, and you’re a homophobic bigot.” He also insinuated that, under Trump’s policies, she should be “deported” due to her immigration status.
In a heated exchange, Lemon questioned her commitment to African American issues and pointedly remarked that she’s not African American herself.
He even brought up her husband Kenneth Petty and brother Jelani Maraj’s criminal backgrounds, stating Maraj was sentenced to 25 years for raping his stepdaughter.
Lemon continued, saying, “Get a life, Nicki Minaj. You should have used a pick me doll in your tweet instead of Chucky. Because you’re just picking me, and I choose not to choose you.” He urged people, both Black and gay, to reconsider supporting her music.
Minaj, 43, later acknowledged that her offensive post about Lemon was intentional and claimed it was the only way to provoke a reaction. She believed that without such drastic measures, his behavior would have gone unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Lemon faced backlash for using his journalistic platform to livestream a chaotic church protest, where he admitted prior knowledge of the demonstration’s plans. Critics pointed out that such actions are a disruption to worship, even though he cited First Amendment rights.
The Justice Department expressed concerns, stating that places of worship should not be used for public protests and emphasized that the First Amendment does not cover disruptive activities disguised as journalism.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, warned Lemon directly, noting that the FBI had become involved in investigating the incident. The protesters targeted the church seeking pastor David Easterwood, claiming he misled ICE’s acting field office director.
Interestingly, the pastor’s information matches that identified in court documents regarding his role with ICE.
