Nicki Minaj has reignited a public feud with journalist Don Lemon after she used a slur widely considered homophobic during a recent podcast appearance. This sentence appears in a promotional video Katie Miller Podcast Lemon was released in late January, just days before he was arrested in connection with a Minnesota church protest.

The exchange came after Don Lemon’s earlier criticism of Nicki Minaj, in which he called her “racist, unhinged, homophobic and out of her depth.” As the video circulates online, it has prompted renewed scrutiny of the rapper’s language and the broader dispute between the two, which has unfolded on social media, television interviews and live coverage of immigration-related protests.

According to a January 30, 2026 update from TMZ, Nicki Minaj used a seemingly homophobic slur against a reporter in response to their criticism.

Nicki Minaj on Don Lemon

According to TMZ, the comments were made during an interview Nicki Minaj recorded a few days ago. Don Lemon arrest. When host Katie Miller asked Minaj to respond to Lemon’s comments TMZ Live, Mina answered briefly and vaguely.

This is not the first time TMZ reports nicki minaj Similar language has been used about lemons. In early January, she posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) that used seriously provocative language to attack Lemon while he was live covering a protest at City Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The article came amid demonstrations at the church over Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, an event Lemon said he was covering as an independent journalist.

The new remarks are attracting attention in part because of their timing. The podcast clip circulated the same morning Don Lemon was arrested.

Don Lemon’s response and previous criticism

Don LemonThe openly gay man has repeatedly refuted Minaj’s comments. In an exclusive interview with Scripps News on January 23, 2026, Lemon addressed their public feud while discussing the possibility of facing charges related to the Minnesota church protests. He said Minaj’s comments were homophobic and racist and questioned why members of the black and LGBTQ communities continued to support her. He is reported to have said,

“So I say, why are African Americans supporting her, why are gays supporting her, members of the LGBTQ community supporting her. You shouldn’t support her because she’s a homophobe, she’s a racist.”

The reporter also mentioned nicki minaj’s Social media posts called for his arrest, in which she wrote: “I hope that thug goes to jail!!!!!” He insisted that he was a reporter, not a protester, during the church incident and argued that his reporting was consistent with his decades-long journalism career.

According to CNN, Don Lemon was detained in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026, and charged with federal crimes related to the January 18, 2026 protest at the St. Paul City Church. Prosecutors accuse Lemon of participating in what they call a “takeover attack” on the church, a claim Lemon and his attorneys vehemently deny.

The journalist vowed to fight the charges, calling them an unprecedented attack on press freedom. First Amendment advocates and civil rights groups criticized the arrest, arguing Lemon was engaging in constitutionally protected journalism. He was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court in Minneapolis in February.