Nicki Minaj has escalated her long-running criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci with a satirical video and a series of social media posts released after the former White House COVID-19 adviser appeared before a Senate committee. In the video, the rapper impersonates Fauci writing in a personal diary, mixing jokes about his public profile with sharp attacks on his pandemic leadership.
The clip, shared Friday and filmed in near darkness, opens with Minaj adopting a mock diary voice. «Dear Diary, well the press is hot for me,» she says while pretending to be Fauci. She continues the parody with references to his media attention, saying, «They say I'm sexier than Tyra Banks. Julia Roberts gasped when she saw how handsome I was. Brad Pitt played me on SNL.» The playful tone then gives way to criticism. «Never mind that I sent millions of children back years on their education... the elderly are alone and afraid, dying by themselves,» she says, before adding, «If anyone asks questions, me and my gang ruins their lives.»
The video follows Fauci's appearance before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in response to questions about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The hearing came after Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, released Fauci's pandemic-era diary. The entries document his meetings and observations during the public health crisis, including reflections on his public image and discussions about the origins of COVID-19.
Republicans have intensified their criticism of Fauci in the aftermath of the hearing. Representative Rich McCormick, Republican of Georgia, introduced legislation that would bar Fauci from returning to government service and could potentially expose him to criminal prosecution.
Minaj followed the video with a series of posts on X. In one, she mocked the government's COVID-19 booster recommendations. «They started telling yall to get a new booster shot every 5 to 10 business days like it was the new Jordans droppin?!?!!!!!!! That's when I knew. I went in my backyard & started building the Arc. Nicki's Arc. I know the Lord won't send another flood but still,» she wrote.
In another post, she blamed Fauci for what she described as lasting emotional and societal damage during the pandemic. «Feeding tubes will be his portion. He will lose the ability to speak & then & only then will he feel the collective pain & long term ramifications he caused to new borns, young children who are still trying to become acclimated into society & schools, traumatized pregnant women who couldn't even have family in the delivery rooms & visits, the elderly who died alone & afraid,» she wrote.
She continued by pointing to mental health struggles, suicide, hospital visitors being turned away, eroded trust in government, and what she called stolen taxpayer money. «I've been struggling to find the humor in any of this,» she added. The post also featured an AI-generated image of Fauci in a 1990s-inspired bedroom writing in a diary, a visual reference to the journals that have become a focus of political debate.
The posts drew immediate praise and backlash. One supporter wrote that getting a COVID-19 shot was one of the biggest regrets of her life and said she had been under stress and threatened with unemployment. Minaj replied, «I don't want you guys to beat up on yourselves. You did what you had to do to feed your family. You had no choice. Now take it to God in prayer & trust that by his stripes you are healed. In Jesus name, Amen. love you guys. And yes! Justice is imperative!!!!!!!!!» Actor Rob Schneider also praised Minaj, writing on X that she is «a rarity in show business, a real truth teller!!»
Other social media users rejected her comments. One critic wrote, «We studied science. You sang songs. We aren't the same. Stay in your lane.» Another said attacking Fauci was «beyond laughable» and accused Minaj of spreading baseless vaccine claims while presenting celebrity as an authority on public health, noting Fauci's decades of science and public service.
The exchange is the latest chapter in a feud that has simmered since the height of the pandemic. Minaj has repeatedly challenged Fauci and COVID-19 policies on social media, and her latest barrage makes clear the confrontation between the two is far from over.
