Joy Reid had no patience Monday night for singer Nicki Minaj's false claim that the COVID vaccine caused her cousin's testicles to swell.
Minaj tweeted:
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
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Anyone reading this should know that: 1) Anecdotal claims are not scientific fact; and 2) Swollen testicles are not indicators of sterility. But the woman with 22 million followers on Twitter didn't really care to consider those facts, which drove Joy Reid to the edge, just like many of us.
"You are not going quit your job unless you want to be broke and poor and sit home with no money and do your research on Tik Tok and watch Tik Toks all day of other unvaccinated people," Reid observed "It's going to happen because people are going to have to face between being broke and being vaccinated. In the end, I'm done hand-holding people too. I've reached my limit. I've reached my limit. I'm not begging anyone else."
Same here. Limit reached and exceeded. For eight months the sane among us have held out the carrot. Now it's time for the stick.
Joy called Minaj out by name, letting her know how much she absolutely did a disservice to all of the people who follow and admire her.
"People like Nicki Minaj, you have a platform that's 22 million followers. I have two million," Reid said "You have 22 million followers on Twitter. For you to use your platform to encourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives, my God, you could do better than that!"
"It's a blessing. It's a blessing that you got that," she continued. "That people listen to you and they listen to you more than they listen to me. 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! As 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. Lord."
Celebrities have a responsibility that comes with the territory. One is not to pass on anecdotes like they're fact, and another is to consider the broader public impact of their comments. Joy Reid is responsible with her platform. Nicki Minaj, not so much.
