Saturday Night Live staffers were “scared,” according to TMZ, after musical guest Cardi B had a meltdown over a “Weekend Update” joke about rapper foe Nicki Minaj.
Minaj, the Trinidadian rapper who became Trump’s celebrity bestie this year, has drawn ridicule for aligning herself with the president—a fact that “Update” anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che intended to capitalize on by joking about the new alliance on the show.
Cardi B, apparently miffed just by the mention of Minaj, reportedly had a meltdown during the dress rehearsal for her January 31 episode after hearing the quip, according to the site’s sources.
The Daily Beast has reached out to SNL and a representative for Cardi B for comment.
After hearing the joke about Minaj’s affiliation with MAGA, sources at the show alleged that the rapper destroyed equipment, punching a screen in the producers’ office until it was broken, which had to be replaced before the dress rehearsal. They also claim the rapper threw her phone at a TV backstage after threatening to leave the show and not perform during the episode, which was hosted by Alexander Skarsgård.
The site reports that the joke was subsequently scrapped in the aftermath.
The meltdown stemmed from Cardi B’s beef with Minaj, who has antagonized her fellow rapper several times over the years—including in October, when Minaj used racially charged insults to target Cardi B’s 7-year-old daughter during a back-and-forth on X. Minaj later wrote a public apology to social media that Cardi B called “backhanded.”
Minaj was revealed to have benefited from MAGA bots since tying her brand to the president, in a new report publicized by Politico on Monday.
As part of her MAGA induction, Minaj has appeared on stage with Erika Kirk, given speeches on Trump’s behalf, appeared on Katie Miller’s podcast, and argued with left-wing pundits on X, where she circulates conspiracy theories about Democratic politicians and argues with her industry’s current stars.
