Don Lemon fired back at Nicki Minaj today (January 20) by dragging Mariah Carey into their savage feud.
The former CNN host used Carey’s legendary Watch What Happens Live appearance to contrast what he called class with Nicki Minaj’s “vile” behavior. Lemon posted his latest Instagram rant after Nicki Minaj called him a “c###” sucker over his coverage of Minneapolis ICE church protests.
“Time and time again, this vile woman shows her true colors,” Don Lemon said about Minaj. “She shows what really animates her and that is cruelty, it’s viciousness, it’s insecurity, it’s ignorance, lack of intelligence.”
The media personality then pivoted to praise Mariah Carey as the perfect example of how real stars handle conflict. He specifically referenced Carey’s 2016 Bravo appearance, where she addressed her beef with Nicki Minaj.
“So someone that I love and I think is really talented, one of the most talented people out there, is the ultimate diva who doesn’t have to put people down, Ms. Mariah Carey,” Lemon continued before cutting to Mariah Carey’s Watch What Happens Live episode.
When Andy Cohen asked Carey to say three nice things about Minaj, the songstress took the high road instead of throwing shade.
“You know, I always felt it was more important with that situation to not play the fifth, but to just stay above the fray because you don’t want to be declasse,” Mariah Carey said, throwing shade at Minaj.
The Carey-Minaj tension dates back to their explosive 2013 stint as American Idol judges. Their on-camera fights became legendary television moments that season.
During one heated audition in North Carolina, Nicki Minaj allegedly told Carey, “If I had a gun, I would shoot that b####” after cameras stopped rolling. Carey later told Barbara Walters the threats created an “unsafe work environment.”
The American Idol drama started small but escalated quickly. Nicki Minaj called Carey a “b####” on camera when a contestant praised Carey’s Christmas classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Carey shot back immediately, saying, “If she’s calling me something that begins with a b, I rebuke it.”
Carey hired additional security during filming due to Minaj’s behavior. The season premiere drew 17.8 million viewers, down from the previous year’s 21.9 million despite all the drama. Nicki Minaj denied making gun threats, calling Carey’s claims a “fabrication.”
But their feud became one of reality TV’s most talked-about conflicts that year.
The current Lemon-Minaj beef started when protesters disrupted a St. Paul church service on January 18. The activists targeted pastor David Easterwood, who also serves as the acting director of the local ICE field office.
Lemon covered the protest on his social media, sharing footage of demonstrators chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” Good was a 37-year-old mother killed by an ICE agent earlier this month.
Minaj exploded on Twitter, writing, “DON ‘C### SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING. HOW DARE YOU? I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION.”
DON ‘C### SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING.
HOW DARE YOU?
I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!!
HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION.
LOCK HIM UP!!!!! pic.twitter.com/xoQBl9KDJY
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 19, 2026
The rapper included a Chucky doll image with her homophobic attack. She later doubled down, saying she “purposely wrote it that way” to force media coverage of the church incident.
Nicki Minaj has recently embraced MAGA politics, earning the nickname “MAGA Minaj” from critics. Her support for Trump’s policies puts her at odds with many Hip-Hop artists.
Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced federal civil rights investigations into the demonstrators who “desecrated a house of worship.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi promised prosecution for any federal law violations. The Trump administration is weighing criminal charges against the church protesters who interrupted the Sunday service.
