The White House offered Wednesday to connect Nicki Minaj with one of the Biden administration's doctors to address her questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, after the rapper's tweet alleging without scientific evidence that the vaccine causes impotence.
Minaj made headlines this week when she noted in a tweet to her more than 22.6 million followers that the Met Gala required attendees to be vaccinated, and that she wouldn't get the shot until "I feel I've done enough research."
She then issued a tweet sharing an unverified story about a cousin's friend in Trinidad. Minaj asserted the individual "became impotent" and "his testicles became swollen" after receiving the shot. She later tweeted that "I never cited that as a reason I didn’t get vaccinated."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, dismissed the claim as misinformation during an interview Tuesday on CNN.
Minaj tweeted that she was invited to the White House, but the administration later said it would be a call.
The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, I’m going. I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human. #BallGate day 3 https://t.co/PSa3WcEjH3
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 15, 2021
The White House says it has offered such calls with others concerned about the vaccine, part of an aggressive public relations campaign to beat back disinformation about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.