Nicki Minaj has come under fire for mocking mental illness. While in Miami Beach the "Black Barbies" rapper, 33, shared an Instagram video of herself laughing at a mentally ill woman shouting on the sidewalk, sparking criticism online.
In the post, Minaj is seen laughing from a car window as the woman yells at her. When the woman walks away, Minaj giggles and asks her to come back. "Miss, what did I do? Can we talk?" she asks in the video, which she captioned with a crying face emoji on Sunday, December 4.
Several Instagram users commented on the post and called the entertainer's actions insensitive, while others claimed to be local residents and alleged that the woman in the video is, indeed, mentally ill.
"I love how you think this is appropriate to show all the young followers that look up to you," one user wrote. "That dehumanizing is ok and bullying… then you have the nerve to laugh… smh."
"You can clearly tell this woman has [a] mental illness and didn't want to be filmed period," another person noted. "If I was u Nicki I would remove this post, I know u didn't know she was sick."
As the Instagram video made the rounds online, the National Alliance on Mental Illness issued a statement to TMZ to condemn Minaj for mocking the woman. "Nobody would make fun of a cancer patent, and mental illness is an illness like any other," a rep for the organization told the site, adding that Minaj, who has 69.7 million Instagram followers, used her fame in a negative manner.
The entertainer's fans, collectively known as Barbz, meanwhile, came to her defense. "I don't think Nicki meant any harm if the woman had come to the car I'm sure Nicki would have given her something probably money," one fan commented.
