Who knew the Philadelphia Public Health Department doubled as a Twitter troll?
It all started on Wednesday (Feb. 16), when Nicki Minaj tweeted without context, “Nothing like watching someone speak confidently about something they know nothing about.”
In response, the Philly Health Department threw a bit of shade with the eyes emoji as well as a screenshot of a tweet Nicki shared in September 2021. The then-viral post recalled an unfortunate side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine a friend of the rapper’s Trinidadian cousin allegedly experienced.
“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent,” she tweeted at the time. “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 ur decision, not bullied.”
👀 https://t.co/btZmhv8YqX pic.twitter.com/58m6X1tFU6
— Philadelphia Public Health (@PHLPublicHealth) February 18, 2022
Minaj’s original tweet came as she revealed that since the 2021 Met Gala required a vaccination and she had not yet gotten her’s, so she would not be attending the fashion event. The rapper also added that she didn’t feel she did “enough research” yet to be comfortable getting vaccinated, though she did recommend a COVID-19 vaccine to those who are considering it.
“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. I’m working on that now,” Minaj tweeted. “In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has since invalidated Minaj’s claims about swollen testicles being a vaccine side effect, but, as evidenced by the Philadelphia Public Health Department, the Twitter memes continue to this day.
