Nicki Minaj declined to attend the 2021 Met Gala because she didn't want to get vaccinated.
The 38-year-old first confirmed she was skipping the event after a Met Gala Instagram account confirmed she would be absent.
"I was prepping for vmas then i shot a video & guess who got COVID? Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama?" the Super Bass rapper began on Twitter, before claiming, "'Get vaccinated' Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile (sic)."
This exchange caused Minaj to explain further that part of her decision to sit out of the event was over the vaccine mandate.
"They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won't for the Met. It'll be once I feel I've done enough research," the rapper continued in a separate tweet. "I'm working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one."
The singer faced intense backlash for the remarks, with users criticising her claim that she needed to do more research and that she was spreading vaccine misinformation.
Across other tweets, the singer insisted that she "had the exact same symptoms as ppl (people) with the damn vaccine" when she contracted Covid-19 and claimed her cousin's friend "became impotent" and his "testicles became swollen" after he got the vaccine, adding, "So just pray on it & make sure you're comfortable with ur decision, not bullied (sic)."
Minaj later revealed that she'll probably get vaccinated eventually due to work commitments, telling a fan, "A lot of countries won't let ppl work w/o the vaccine. I'd def recommend they get the vaccine. They have to feed their families. I'm sure I'll b vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour, etc (sic)."
