The rapper has come under fire for claiming the vaccine causes "swollen testicles". Photo / Getty Images
The rapper has come under fire for claiming the vaccine causes "swollen testicles". Photo / Getty Images
Nicki Minaj claims she was invited to the White House to talk about Covid-19 after her claims the vaccine causes impotence - but now a government official has shut down her claims.
The rapper tweeted earlier this week: "The White House has invited me & I think it's a step in the right direction. Yes, I'm going. I'll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business.
"I'll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human."
But now a White House official has denied her claims, saying the singer was only offered a phone call with a doctor.
They told Fox News, "As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine."
But the rapper went on to insist that she received an invite to the White House, but suggested an online session instead as she doesn't want to travel.
"Do y'all think that I would go on the internet and lie about being invited to the … White House?" she said on Instagram.
The artist continued, "We'd like to offer Nicki an invitation to come to the White House to speak with two people … the two names … um, what is that man's name … Dr Fauci and with the surgeon-general."
Minaj continued: "And do you know what I said? I said, 'Well, I would rather not have to travel, can we do something like a [Instagram] Live' and they said that they're open to me choosing a platform to do a Live but they never have taken that off the table for me to come to the White House."
In response to the White House statement, she retorted: "And then just imagine someone saying, 'Oh, no, we offered Nicki Minaj the same phone call we offer everybody else.' What? You think they would offer that to Mookie in the projects. No. 'Everybody else.'
"And I see why a lot of celebrities keep themselves bubbled up. You understand? We're living in a place without free healthcare. So anybody in this country has the right to question anything about their health."
The rapper has come under fire for claiming the vaccine causes "swollen testicles". Photo / Getty Images
She made headlines this week when she skipped the Met Gala, tweeting that it required guests to be vaccinated. The rapper said she wouldn't get the vaccine unless "I feel I've done enough research".
Minaj later shared claims that her cousin's friend in Trinidad "became impotent" and had swollen testicles after getting the jab.
Meanwhile, US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci dismissed her claims as "misinformation".
"There's no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen," he told CNN.
For information on the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and other things you need to know, listen to our podcast Science Digest with Michelle Dickinson:
