Rapper Nicki Minaj criticized former CNN host Don Lemon for posting a video of anti-ICE protesters interrupting a church service in Minneapolis on January 18, 2026. The protest was aimed at Cities Church in St. Paul, where pastor David Easterwood also works as the acting director of ICE’s Saint Paul Field Office. Activists chanted “ICE out” and called for justice for Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent earlier that month. Lemon, who is openly gay, talked to the protesters live on social media before they stopped the service.
Minaj quickly criticized Lemon’s coverage of X (formerly Twitter), calling it “disgusting” and using a homophobic slur while posting a meme of a Chucky doll. Part of her post said, “‘CO SUCK’ L DISGING,” which accused him of being biased and called for him to be “locked up.” The next day, she said she wrote it on purpose to get people to notice his “despicable behavior.”
Lemon called Minaj a “homophobic, bigoted, ignorant woman” in a TMZ Live interview and told her to “sit the f—k down” and “get a life.” He called her “unhinged,” defended his reporting, and brought up her family’s legal problems, calling her a “pick me.” The fight has gotten a lot of attention, and the U.S. Department of Justice is looking into Lemon and the protesters.
