Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty in spat with Nicki Minaj over 'ridiculous' coronavirus vaccine tweet

15 September 2021, 10:37 | Updated: 15 September 2021, 11:22

Chris Whitty and Boris Johnson respond to Nicki Minaj Covid vaccine comments

By Polly Foreman

Nicki Minaj has been slammed online for a controversial tweet about the coronavirus vaccine.

In possibly the strangest bit of news from the past two years (and that's saying something...), Nicki Minaj is embroiled in a spat with Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty.

It all started when the US rapper, 38, penned a tweet about the coronavirus vaccine to her 22 million followers, claiming that her cousin's friend became 'impotent' after having it.

• Mandatory face masks and working from home could return this winter, government announce
• Full list of countries which could be added to the green and red travel lists this week
• Council shares photo of giant house spider as it issues advice on how to remove them

Impotence has not been identified as a possible side effect of the vaccine, and there is no evidence to support her claims.

Minaj's tweet was predictably slammed online, and was discussed at Boris Johnson's press briefing last night (September 15).

When asked about her claim by a journalist, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that anyone who spreads vaccine misinformation "should be ashamed".

Professor Whitty added: "There are a number of myths that fly around ... some of which are just clearly ridiculous and some of which are clearly designed just to scare.

"That happens to be one of them. That is untrue."

Boris Johnson then added that he didn't know who Nicki Minaj is, but said that he would rather listen to Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England’s medical director of primary care, who "will tell you vaccines are wonderful and everyone should get them".

A clip of Johnson's words caught the attention of Minaj, and she responded with: "I love him even tho I guess this was a diss? The accent ugh! Yassss boo!!!"

She later recorded a voice note for the Prime Minister, in which she put on a British accent.

“Hello prime minister, Boris, it’s Nicki Minaj – I was just calling to tell you that you were so amazing on the news this morning." she said.

"And I’m actually British. I was born there. I went to university there. I went to Oxford.

“I went to school with Margaret Thatcher. And she told me so many nice things about you.”