Dr Anthony Fauci has responded to Nicki Minaj's vaccine concerns, after the rapper shared an unusual anecdote about alleged sexual side effects to COVID-19 vaccines.
Minaj on Monday tweeted to her 22 million followers that the vaccine had left a cousin's friend in Trinidad 'impotent' and with 'swollen' testicles, causing his fiancée to cancel their wedding.
'There's no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen,' Fauci told CNN on Tuesday when asked whether the vaccines could impact reproductive health. 'So the answer to your question is no.'
'There is a lot of misinformation, mostly on social media. And the only way to counter mis- and disinformation is to provide a lot of correct information and essentially debunk these kinds kinds of claims,' Fauci said of Minaj's tweets.
'There's no evidence that it happens,' Fauci said when asked about rapper Nicki Minaj's concern that COVID vaccines could cause testicular swelling
Minaj on Monday tweeted to her 22 million followers that the vaccine had left a cousin's friend in Trinidad 'impotent' and with 'swollen' testicles
Fauci said that Minaj's controversial post 'may be innocent on her part.'
'I'm not blaming her for anything, but she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis, except for a one-off anecdote. That's not what science is about,' Fauci said.
The CDC has said: 'There is no evidence that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause male fertility problems.'
Minaj has not backed down from her controversial tweets, and insists that she does not discourage anyone from getting vaccinated, saying she wants to do her own 'research' and is opposed to forcing vaccines on those who don't want them.
Her flurry of tweets about vaccines began with a post regarding the Met Gala in New York on Monday, which she did not attend.
'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. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one,' wrote Minaj.
'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 ur decision, not bullied,' the rapper followed up.
The rapper also revealed she had tested positive for COVID-19 while prepping for the MTV Video Music Awards, causing her to skip that event Sunday.
The remarks drew immediate backlash and accusations that Minaj was spreading harmful myths and misinformation.
The UK's Chief Medical Officer Chris Witty slammed the star, who has not been vaccinated and revealed she has contracted COVID-19, for spreading an 'untrue' and 'ridiculous' myth about the shot.
The rapper did not back down, however, and launched into a war of words with her critics, including DailyMail.com editor at large Piers Morgan, MSNBC host Joy Reid, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson condemned her comments and told reporters he would rather listen to NHS England's top GP Nikki Kanani about the 'wonderful' vaccine than the rapper.
Johnson and Whitty had been asked about Minaj's comments during their joint press conference from Downing Street Tuesday afternoon.
The PM responded saying he was 'not as familiar' with Minaj's comments and prefers to listen to a different Nikki.
'I'm not as familiar with the works of Nicki Minaj as I probably should be,' he said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left)and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty (right) speak at Downing Street this afternoon where they condemned her comments on the vaccine
The Prime Minister said he would rather listen to NHS England's top GP Nikki Kanani about the shot (above) than the rapper
'But I am familiar with Nikki Kanani, superstar GP of Bexley who's appeared many times before you, who will tell you that vaccines are wonderful and everybody should get them. So I prefer to listen to Nikki Kanani.'
Whitty warned people not to listen to people 'peddling untruths' and 'myths' about the vaccine, which he called 'clearly ridiculous.'
Minaj took to Twitter moments after the interview with the British PM and chief medical officer aired, saying: 'I love him even tho I guess this was a diss? The accent ugh! Yassss boo!!!'
The rapper, 38, responded with a voice message for Johnson on Twitter Tuesday where she feigned an English accent and mockingly claimed she 'went to Oxford' and 'went to school with Margaret Thatcher'.
'Send this to the Prime Minister and let him know they lied on me. I forgive him. No one else. Only him,' she wrote alongside her audio message.
In the audio, she says: 'Yes, 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. 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.
'I'd love to send you my portfolio of my work, since you don't know much about me, I'm a big, big star in the United States.'
DailyMail.com US editor-at-large Piers Morgan also got into a spat with Minaj, writing: 'Professor Whitty beefing with the ghastly @NICKIMINAJ (one of the rudest little madams I've ever met) is not the breaking news that I expected today - but it's most welcome. She's peddling lies that will cost lives.'
The rapper fired back: 'Sir I've never met you. I know… we all look alike. 'Rudest little madam'. I like it. Has a special ring to it.
Minaj also went to war with DailyMail.com's Piers Morgan
'Thanks Pierce. Love the accent. I'd love to come chat. Scones. Tea. Clown nose & big red shoes for you. Lmk babe.'
The war of words continued with Morgan reminding her of a meeting he said they had and correcting her spelling of his name.
'Madam, we met on @AGT when you appeared as a guest act - but you refused to say hello to my three young sons because you were 'too busy'. Oh, and it's 'Piers' - I know, we Brit names all sound alike,' he wrote.
Minaj responded by accusing Morgan of lying: 'Stop fkng lying. I never turn down pics with kids. If a middle person told you that, they were out of line. don't blame me you stupid piece of s**t.'
The star has got into Twitter spats with a number of people following her controversial vaccine comments Monday.
Joy Reid, 52, called out Minaj on her show The ReidOut Monday for using her platform 'to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives'.
'You have a platform, sister, that is 22 million followers, OK? I have 2 million followers. You have 22 million followers on Twitter,' Reid said of Minaj on her show during a discussion about vaccine mandates.
'For you to use your platform to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives, my God sister, you can do better than that!'
Reid said it is a 'blessing' for Minaj to have such a large platform that people 'listen to you'.
'You got that platform - it's a blessing that you got that! The people listen to you - and they listen to you more than they listen to me!' she said.
Joy Reid, 52, called out Minaj on her show The ReidOut Monday for using her platform 'to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives'
Minaj went on to call Reid an 'Uncle Tomiana' and a 'lying homophobic c**n', sharing grabs of a 2018 article where Reid was accused of writing homophobic blog posts
'For you to use your platform to put people in the position of dying from a disease they don't have to die from, oh my God, sister.
'As a fan, as a hip-hop fan, as somebody who is your fan, I'm so sad that you did that, so sad that you did that, sister. Oh, my God.'
Minaj hit back at Reid over her comments on Twitter Monday night accusing her of being 'thirsty to down another black woman'.
'This is what happens when you're so thirsty to down another black woman (by the request of the white man), that you didn't bother to read all my tweets,' she tweeted.
Minaj also attacked Reid with racial slurs, calling the black news presenter a 'lying homophobic c**n'.
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