This year's Emmy Awards felt more like a real award show and less of the virtual
and in-person hybrid, as audiences have become accustomed to during the coronavirus pandemic.
The award show, which took place in Los Angeles, is being put on in large
part thanks to the COVID-19 protocols the Television Academy put in place.
For this year's show, there was a limited audience: Only around 500 people were
allowed in the venue, per Variety, compared to the traditional thousands in years past.
In addition, the traditional Governors Ball — the official after-party of the Primetime Emmy
Awards — was not held, and all attendees were required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine
and a negative COVID test before entering the venue.
Given that coronavirus is still raging in many states, including California where the
award show is being held, safety has been a top priority. But despite the seriousness of safety,
that didn't stop this year's host, Cedric the Entertainer,
from throwing major shade toward Nicki Minaj about the pandemic. This is what went down.
While on stage, Cedric the Entertainer joked about being vaccinated
and included the name of a certain someone who has made her stance on
vaccines clear. He reportedly joked to the audience saying,
"I got vaxxed. I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend."
The diss came after Minaj revealed that she would not be in attendance at the 2021 Met
Gala due to the vaccination requirement. She tweeted on September 13th writing,
"If I get vaccinated it won't [be] for the Met.
It'll be once I feel I've done enough research. I'm working on that now."
Minaj then went on to say that her cousin's friend in Trinidad was vaccinated and had a negative
reaction to the vaccine, causing his testicles to swell and consequently ruining his wedding.
Many were concerned about Minaj possibly spreading doubt about the vaccine to her fanbase
following her tweet. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said to CNN in response to Minaj's rant,
"She should be thinking twice about propagating information that really
has no basis except a one-off anecdote, and that's not what science is all about."
The vaccine is not 100% effective at preventing infection, but the CDC notes that the vaccine
does prevent serious symptoms of coronavirus. It seems Cedric the Entertainer was hoping
to shed light on Minaj's misinformation with a bit of humor at this year's Emmys.
Even though Nicki Minaj was not in attendance at the 2021 Met Gala or the 2021 Emmys,
she still managed to be a topic of conversation in and around
the industry in the past week. Cedric the Entertainer's comments about her bizarre
anti-vaxxing tweets did nothing to calm the firestorm the embattled rapper is now facing.
After Minaj's tweets about her cousin's friend's embarrassing medical problem,
the White House reportedly reached out to Minaj and offered to answer any questions she had
about the vaccine. At this point, as far as we know, Minaj did not take them up on their offer.
Nicki Minaj might not be the most popular gal in Hollywood right now, but that doesn't mean
her fans have turned their back on her just yet. In fact, some are so dedicated to Minaj that they
actually organized a protest at the CDC after her COVID tweets went viral. On September 17th,
dozens of fans showed up in front of the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
They reportedly chanted in unison,
"Nicki told the truth to me! Fauci lied to me!"
A protestor told CBS46 at the scene.
"We are here because the CDC has been lying to us for so long."
Speaking to the outlet, a doctor who works for the
CDC reiterated once again just how far off base Minaj's claims were. He said,
"We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and
effective and they don't affect men or women's fertility."
Since the fallout, Minaj has not been active on Twitter, claiming the website blocked her
from using her account after she was accused of spreading misinformation. Twitter, however,
claimed they did not. In the meantime, while some eagerly await Minaj's return to the Twitter-verse,
the FDA is working to secure vaccines for children under 16
and extra doses for the immunocompromised.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebrities are coming
soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.