Don Lemon Responds to Nicki Minaj's Homophobic Tirade with Call to "Get a Life" Amid Church Protest Coverage

On January 19, 2026, Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor and prominent gay journalist, posted a video on TikTok responding to a series of homophobic posts by rapper Nicki Minaj targeting him. Lemon stated, “People have been asking about responding to Nicki Minaj’s unhinged, homophobic tweet about me, ” and directly addressed Minaj, saying, “Nicki Minaj, stop talking about s--- which you know nothing about. This is out of your depth, by the way. And you are a homophobic bigot. ”

The feud stemmed from Lemon's coverage of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest on January 18, 2026, inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Protesters disrupted the church service, alleging that pastor David Easterwood also serves as acting field director for ICE's St. Paul office. Minaj reacted vehemently on social media that same day, referring to Lemon as “DON ‘C--K SUCKIN’ LEMON, ” calling him “disgusting, ” and demanding his arrest, writing, “How dare you? I want that thug in jail! !! !! He would never do that to any other religion. Lock him up! !! !! ”

In his response, Lemon escalated by referencing Minaj's background, noting she was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982 and stated in 2024 that she is “not a citizen of America, ” despite living primarily in the U. S. since age five. He said, “You don’t care about African Americans, you’re not an African American. From what I know, you are reportedly an undocumented citizen, so you should be deported under Donald Trump’s rule." Lemon further criticized Minaj's family ties, mentioning her husband Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender, and her brother Jelani Maraj, sentenced in 2020 to 25 years to life for raping an 11-year-old girl, stating, “You have one family member who is a sex offender, the other family member… is reportedly a pedophile. And you have the nerve to talk about me? ” He concluded, “Get a life, stop being a pick-me. You are a pick me. And I not to pick you, and so should Black people and so should gay people, shouldn’t buy your music. Clock that. ”

The incident occurs against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny on Lemon's protest coverage. On January 19, 2026, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced the Justice Department would pursue charges related to the demonstration, citing Lemon's presence in an interview on The Benny Show podcast hosted by conservative influencer Benny Johnson. Dhillon remarked, “Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility, ” and questioned whether journalism shields participation in a “criminal conspiracy, ” potentially invoking the FACE Act or Enforcement Act of 1871. She did not confirm personal charges against Lemon, noting facts were still being assembled.

Lemon issued a statement defending his work, saying, “It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling. ” He stood by his reporting and redirected focus to the death of Renee Nicole Good, fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in January 2026, arguing resources should investigate her killing instead of “manufacturing outrage. ”