Don Lemon is firing back at Nicki Minaj after the rapper hurled a homophobic slur at him on social media. Lemon, a former CNN anchor, was covering an ICE protest in Minneapolis on January 18, 2026, coverage that Minaj made clear she disapproved of.

Lemon — a gay man who married his longtime partner Tim Malone in 2024 — responded to the derogatory rant in a statement to TMZ, saying, “I’m not surprised Nicki Minaj does not understand journalism and is weighing in on matters that are above her capacity.”