Nicki Minaj

Brandon Garrett, a former tour manager, alleges that Minaj struck him in the face and wrist in her dressing room in Detroit in April 2024 following a dispute over the organisation of her team. In January 2025, he brought a civil action alleging assault, battery and emotional distress; in April 2026, he was still seeking sanctions during discovery.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Accused

Security guard Thomas Weidenmuller sued Minaj and Kenneth Petty following a backstage incident in Frankfurt in 2019. He alleged that Minaj had confronted him verbally before Petty struck him and fractured his jaw. After the defendants failed to respond, a default judgment of approximately $503,000 was entered, and the guard subsequently sought enforcement.

State of the evidence

Documented

At Schiphol Airport, Minaj was detained by the Dutch military police for attempting to take a quantity of cannabis out of the Netherlands. She received a €350 fine and was released, too late to perform her scheduled Manchester concert.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Jennifer Hough, who had accused Kenneth Petty of rape when they were teenagers, in a case resulting in his conviction for attempted rape, sued Petty and Minaj, claiming that she had been subjected to pressure, harassment and attempts at intimidation intended to make her change her account.

Attribution

Accused

Tracy Chapman sued Minaj after elements of Baby Can I Hold You were used without authorisation in Sorry, a recorded but not officially released song that subsequently circulated and was played on radio.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

Minaj claimed on Twitter that a friend of her cousin in Trinidad and Tobago had reportedly experienced testicular swelling and impotence after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, triggering international controversy over vaccine misinformation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

At a Harper's Bazaar event in New York, Cardi B attempted to confront Minaj physically and threw a shoe towards her while security separated them. The incident crystallised an already very public rivalry.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated

Minaj arrived at the Grammy Awards accompanied by a man dressed as the Pope, then performed Roman Holiday in a production featuring confession, priests, possession and exorcism. The Catholic League and other commentators condemned what they considered offensive use of Catholic symbols.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated