[UPDATED] Journalists, celebs still trolling Nicki Minaj, 'cousin' over covid19 tweets

THREE days after Trinidad-born US rapper Nicki Minaj's series of tweets about covid19 vaccines sent social media into a frenzy, comedians, talk show hosts and journalists continue to mock her.

On Monday, she tweeted that being vaccinated against covid19 was mandatory for the Met Gala (the fundraising benefit event this week for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York).

She said, "If I get vaccinated it won't (sic) for the Met. It'll be once I feel I've done enough research."

But it was a subsequent tweet about her "Trinidadian cousin" which sent the internet crazy.

She said, "My cousin in Trinidad won't get the vaccine cuz his friend got it and became impotent. His testicles became swollen.

"His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it and make sure you’re comfortable with ur (sic) decision, not bullied."

After this, the phrase "Nicki Minaj's cousin" started trending on Twitter, with people making jokes and memes about it.

US journalist Emma Vigeland tweeted, "Vaxxed, big balled and alone. Don’t end up like Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend."

US actress Laci Mosley said, "Why are we out here listening to clinical scientific research when Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend is right there!"

Minaj later posted, "A lot of countries won’t let ppl work w/o (without) the vaccine. I’d def(initely) recommend they get the vaccine. They have to feed their families. I’m sure I’ll be vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour, etc."

She
posted a poll on Twitter asking her followers to choose between covid19 vaccines: Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer and
"other." Over 374,000 people voted and Pfizer got 64.7 per cent of the votes.

She then slammed several US media outlets she said had misquoted her and labelled her an anti-vaxxer.

For example, MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid discussed Minaj's tweets on live TV, saying, "You have a platform that has 22 milion followers. For you to use your platform to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives, my God, sister, you could do better than that."

Minaj responded, "This is what happens when you’re so thirsty to down another black woman (by the request of the white man), that you didn’t bother to read all my tweets."

She later said she was glad her fans were getting to see "how the media really works."

The drama even reached UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said he was not "as familiar (with) the works of Nicki Minaj as I should be."

She later posted a voice note of herself speaking in an English accent saying she was born and raised in the UK.

"I thought you were so amazing on the news this morning. I'm actually British," she said.

She responded to a few of the jokes about her cousin as well.

Late-night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned it on Tuesday night.

"Poor guy's sitting at home on his couch, TV dinner resting on his nuts and now he's famous."

It was also on CNN and Fox News.

Stephen Colbert also took a jab at the topic on his late-night show, with a remix of Minaj's song Super Bass called Super Balls.

During the show, he said it was a good thing he got his covid19 jab on his arm.

Colbert also tweeted, "Can’t believe the Met Gala failed to invite the biggest influencer of our times: Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s balls."

The Daily Show's host Trevor Noah also did a brief sketch on the incident.

He said, "If you've been on Twitter in the last 24 hours or if you, for some reason, have a Google alert for 'Trinidadian testicles,' you probably saw the story.

"I'm not sure this marriage was ever going to work out. Because when you get married, you go into it knowing you're going to face some obstacles someday. I mean, it's right there in the vows. But clearly this woman in Trinidad was like, 'I was okay with richer or poorer sickness and health but you never said anything about swollen testicles."

He said he felt sorry for "the poor man who was just minding his business with his swollen testicles" as his information is now all over the internet.

Jimmy Fallon also had his say on the Tonight Show. He said, "Did that guy know you're suppose to get the shot in your arm?

"Fireball is releasing their own kegs...when I saw Fireball trending, I thought something else happened to Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend."

On Tuesday, Minaj tweeted, "Omg. My cousin who has the friend just texted me telling me to call him. *Bites nails* Ugh! You idiots! If he saw this on the news it's all your fault! It was supposed to be a secret. If either of them ask, you ain't heard it from me. Okay?"

Health authorities and the US Centers for Disease Control have since said covid19 vaccines do not cause impotency.

Gulf View Medical, La Romain posted an "open invitation" to Minaj's cousin's friend on Facebook, saying, "Heard you have a problem. Check us, we can help!"

And local comedian Nikki Crosby posted that she had just arrived in the US but "I hope they ain't mix me up with the other Trini Nicki 'cause my cousins, dey friends and dey balls good."