A dispute sparked by a joke at the Grammy Awards escalated this week after Nicki Minaj directed a series of inflammatory social-media posts at Chrissy Teigen, widening the fallout from host Trevor Noah's opening monologue. The exchange drew swift reactions online and renewed debate over celebrity conduct, satire and the speed at which awards-show moments metastasize into broader controversies.
The episode began during Noah's monologue, when he referenced Minaj's absence and joked that she was "still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues." Noah continued by impersonating Trump, delivering a string of exaggerated boasts. Cameras cut to Teigen-seated near her husband, John Legend-laughing and giving a thumbs-up, a reaction that circulated widely on social platforms.
Minaj, who was not in attendance, responded online. After initially criticizing Noah, she turned her attention to Teigen, alleging-without evidence-that the model was transgender and using crude language to do so. One post read: "Everyone knows Chrissy Tiegan has/had a dik. Allegedly." The post quickly amassed significant engagement, drawing condemnation from critics and support from a subset of fans.
The reaction was immediate and polarized. Many users challenged Minaj's claims as baseless and offensive, while others accused her of inviting legal and reputational risk. Several replies shifted focus to Minaj's personal life, referencing the criminal histories of family members-remarks that Minaj has previously said are irrelevant to her work and views.
As the dispute spread, some users resurfaced Teigen's old social-media posts from more than a decade ago, reviving allegations that she has repeatedly rejected. The posts, which she addressed in the past, included comments about watching the reality show Toddlers & Tiaras. One read: "seeing little girls splits half naked is just....i want to put myself in jail." Another said: "It always weirds me out how strong little toddlers tummies can look and I'm aware of how absolutely disturbing that sounds." Teigen has previously described claims linking her to pedophilia as "sick" and "harrowing," and has denied any such behavior.
Neither Teigen nor Legend publicly responded to Minaj's latest posts as of publication. Representatives for the Recording Academy declined to comment on the online dispute, and no indication emerged that Grammy organizers planned to address the controversy.
