With a major election days away, Gov. Kathy Hochul isn’t about to let a rapper with millions of followers have the last word or distract folks from what’s really important. She’s now clapping back at Nicki Minaj in true governor fashion after being called “evil” by the rapper.
As we previously reported, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nicki Minaj traded public shots on Wednesday.
It started on X, where Minaj went straight for the governor’s throat. She called Hochul an “evil woman,” said the Democratic Party should forfeit the seat, and claimed the governor “will not escape God’s wrath.” The Queen of Rap also faulted Hochul for not denouncing evil when she had the chance, though she never spelled out exactly what she meant. In a longer follow-up, she accused the governor of keeping “horrible company.”
Minaj also pointed to an old controversy. Her post referred to Hochul’s earlier comments about Black children growing up in the Bronx, and she urged Black and Christian voters to back Republican Bruce Blakeman. That moment goes back to May 2024, when Hochul said at a business conference in California that young Black kids in the Bronx “don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is.”
Hochul apologized the same day, saying she was trying to make a point about access to technology. At the time, Rev. Al Sharpton argued she was making a “good point” about communities being excluded from access. Despite all of that, Hochul is sharing a message… a direct one to Miss Minaj.
Hochul didn’t write a long statement or call in a surrogate. She told reporters Minaj should “get outside and get offline a little more,” adding that Trump rallies are “poisoning” her mind.
She basically told one of the biggest names in hip-hop to touch grass, and the clip spread quickly…
Gov. Kathy Hochul, asked about Nicki Minaj’s beef, says she should “get outside.” “And stop going to Trump rallies, it’s kinda poisoning your mind.” https://t.co/eKJuqKH9Vv— Vaughn Golden (@VaughnEGolden) October 28, 2026
Interestingly enough, Minaj endorsed Hochul back in 2018, when she ran for lieutenant governor. Now she’s one of the governor’s louder critics. Minaj calls herself Trump’s “No. 1 fan,” has appeared with administration officials, and has been floated as a possible White House press secretary, though it’s unclear how serious that talk is.
With Election Day close, expect more noise, more clips, and more people with strong opinions about who should be telling whom to log off.