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Philadelphia Department of Public Health trolls Nicki Minaj over COVID comment, and a Twitter storm erupts

The hubbub started when rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted the comment, ”Nothing like watching someone speak confidently about something they know nothing about.”

Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams gives a badge to Nicki Minaj before her for an in-store appearance in center city at the FYE store, Broad & Chestnuts Streets. Wednesday, April 4, 2012. ( Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer )
Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams gives a badge to Nicki Minaj before her for an in-store appearance in center city at the FYE store, Broad & Chestnuts Streets. Wednesday, April 4, 2012. ( Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer )Read more
    by Rita Giordano
    Updated 
    Published 

Talk about City of Brotherly Love atty-tude.

Even the Philadelphia Department of Public Health was feeling it this past week. And now the Twitter universe is all aflutter.

The hubbub started Wednesday when rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted the comment ”Nothing like watching someone speak confidently about something they know nothing about.”

It wasn’t clear exactly what she was referring to.

Well, someone posting on behalf of Philadelphia’s official public health account seized on that tweet afterward to resurrect a controversial Minaj tweet from five months ago in which she chronicled the adverse reaction a cousin’s friend’s testicles had to the COVID-19 vaccine. The public health agency’s post was accompanied by the upcast eyes emoji.

“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with your decision, not bullied,” tweeted Minaj back in September.

The rapper evidently didn’t appreciate the health department’s trolling. Minaj, who last year said she had COVID but wanted to do more personal research into the vaccine, accused the agency of posting her tweet “for engagement.”

“They are attempting to shame ppl for advising others to PRAY, be COMFORTABLE & NOT BE BULLIED,” the rapper tweeted. “I’ve never seen a vaccine trigger this amount of shaming & fear tactics. Have you?” she added, with a hashtag promoting her new single “Do We Have a Problem?” featuring Lil Baby.

Both performers have been featured at Philadelphia’s Made in America music festival. Minaj’s claims about the vaccine’s effects were refuted by officials last year after her controversial tweet.

The health department declined to jump further into the fray. Well, not much further.

“It’s all love!” the agency tweeted back, along with two laughing emojis.