Nicki Minaj has explained that the wording of her inflammatory post aimed at Don Lemon was intentional, saying she chose it specifically to draw widespread media coverage. Earlier this week, the rapper took aim at the former CNN host on X, formerly Twitter, referring to him as “DON ‘C*CK SUCKIN’ LEMON” while criticizing his reporting on an anti ICE protest at Cities Church in Minneapolis.

Responding to the backlash, Minaj doubled down on her approach in a follow up post on X. “LOL!!! And I purposely wrote it that way b/c I knew that would be the only way to get the c*ck suckas to post about it,” she wrote. “They would’ve all collectively ignored the despicable behavior displayed by Lemon head. I’m glad they’re angry. They’re about to get angrier.”

Lemon addressed Minaj’s original comments during an interview with TMZ on Monday, where he sharply criticized her views. “I think Nicki Minaj has made it very clear how she feels about African Americans in this country,” he said. “I don't think she's one of them. Under Trump's rule, she should be deported. I don't think, reportedly, she is a legal citizen here. She is undocumented. So, she has shown her disdain for African Americans. Why are you supporting her? Why are you buying her record? I have lots of friends who love Nicki Minaj. Why are you supporting this homophobic, bigoted, ignorant woman? You should not be supporting her. Nicki Minaj is clearly out of her depth. She doesn't understand politics. She doesn't understand journalism, and I'm not surprised she is weighing in on something that is beyond her capacity.”

He also poked fun at Minaj for including a Chucky doll in her post. “What I will say to her, because she put a doll, I think she put the Chucky doll in there, a better symbol that should have been represented in that picture is a pick me doll,” Don Lemon said. “Because Nicki Minaj is a pick me.”

Lemon has since denied having any connection to the demonstrators who gathered outside Cities Church. He maintains that he was present in Minneapolis strictly in his role as a journalist to report on the protests, which centered on accusations that the church’s leader had aided ICE.