Nicki Minaj sparked backlash and headlines on Sunday night after posting an angry message aimed at Don Lemon, criticizing his recent coverage of an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis. Her comments arrived as demonstrations continued following the fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier this month.
Minaj took to X (formerly Twitter) to denounce Lemon in harsh terms, including a homophobic insult and a call for his imprisonment. The post was a reaction to Lemon livestreaming alongside protesters who interrupted a service at Cities Church. Demonstrators accused the church’s pastor of cooperating with ICE, according to reporting from The Daily Beast.
Minaj wrote that Lemon’s actions were “disgusting” and claimed he would not have behaved similarly toward other religions, demanding legal consequences for what she viewed as misconduct.
She wasn’t alone in condemning the incident. Harmeet Dhillon, from the U.S. Department of Justice, also criticized Lemon’s presence at the church. In a post highlighted by The New York Post, Dhillon warned that houses of worship are protected spaces and said the First Amendment does not cover disrupting a prayer service under the guise of journalism.
Lemon has not responded directly to Minaj’s comments. However, he did address the broader backlash in a video posted Sunday night. In it, he denied coordinating with the protest group and said he was simply documenting events as they unfolded.
“I had no affiliations with that organization,” Lemon explained. “We were there chronicling protests. Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism—reporting on it and speaking with everyone involved, including the pastor and church members.”
The protest itself stemmed from the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross earlier this month in Minneapolis. Her death has fueled ongoing demonstrations and intensified scrutiny of law enforcement and immigration authorities in the city.
As the situation continues to unfold, Minaj’s comments have added another layer of controversy—pulling celebrity voices, political figures, and media ethics into an already volatile national conversation.