Nicki Minaj sparked backlash Sunday night after launching a profanity-laced and homophobic rant against Don Lemon on X (formerly Twitter), calling for his arrest over his coverage of a church protest in Minneapolis.
Minaj’s comments followed Lemon’s livestream coverage of an anti-ICE demonstration in Minneapolis, where protesters interrupted a service at Cities Church. The demonstrators accused the church’s pastor of cooperating with ICE, according to reports from The Daily Beast. Lemon was present as the protest unfolded and streamed portions of the disruption while speaking with those involved.
Minaj reacted angrily to Lemon’s reporting, posting an explicit message that included a homophobic slur and demanded that Lemon be jailed. Her remarks immediately drew criticism online, with many condemning both the language used and the escalation of rhetoric surrounding the incident.
Don Lemon Faces Backlash Over Protest Coverage
Minaj was not the only public figure to criticize Lemon. Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, also warned Lemon on X, arguing that houses of worship are protected spaces under federal law and not appropriate venues for protest. “A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest,” Dhillon wrote, adding that such actions may carry criminal and civil consequences.
Lemon responded to the growing backlash in a video later that night, pushing back on claims that he orchestrated or endorsed the protest. He said he was documenting events as a journalist and had no prior knowledge that the group planned to disrupt a church service.
“I had no affiliations with that organization,” Lemon said. “We were there chronicling protests. Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was to report on it and talk to the people involved.”
The protest itself followed the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross earlier this month, an incident that has fueled ongoing demonstrations across Minneapolis.
As of now, Lemon has not addressed Minaj’s comments directly. Meanwhile, Minaj’s post continues to circulate online, adding another layer of controversy to an already tense debate over protest, religion, and press coverage.
