Minaj, 38, received blowback from political commentators, netizens and her fanbase - 'the barbz' - on Monday after she took to Twitter to reveal the true reason for her absence from the VMAs and the MET Gala -- which required attendees to show proof they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
"I was prepping for vmas then i [sic] shot a video & guess who got COVID?" she said, revealing her positive diagnosis to the internet. "Do u [sic] 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 post came as a shock to many of her fans, particularly because she tweeted a few minutes prior that she would be getting in the pool with her child, who she gave birth to last October.
The 38-year-old continued to incense and catch netizens off guard as she claimed that she "had the exact same symptoms as ppl [sic] with the damn vaccine," referring to the COVID-19 vaccine. It is unclear how Minaj was able to draw that conclusion.
At the same time, Minaj did encourage her fanbase to wear a face mask that "grips your head & face," rather than a "loose one."
She then proceeded to offer an anecdotal example of why she is not fully confident about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
"My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz [sic] his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen," Minaj tweeted. "His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding."
However, netizens were not buying the 38-year-old's through-the-grapevine story. Some even suggested that her cousin's friend was suffering from a sexually transmitted infection - or mumps - rather than COVID-19 vaccine complications.
It was not long before both left and right-wing news outlets also picked up on the artist's revelation.
Joy Ann Reid, host of MSNBC's "The Reid Out," blasted the 38-year-old and reprimanded her for spreading misinformation to her 22 million followers.
"It's a blessing that you got that [platform]. That people listen to you. They listen to you more than they listen to me!" Reid said during her Monday broadcast. "For you to use your platform to put people in the position of dying from a disease they don't have to die from -- oh my God!"
Meanwhile, on Fox News, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" host Tucker Carlson also briefly touched on the topic, emphasizing Minaj's tweets on face masks and alleged COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
Despite blowback from fans, pundits and the general public, Minaj has remained firm in her decision to carry out more "research" before getting fully vaccinated. She also tweeted that she will likely have to get the COVID-19 vaccine before going on tour.