Jesy, who has since thanked the 'Anaconda' hitmaker for defending her, stresses that it was not her intention to offend people of color with her new 'Boyz' video and song.
- Oct 12, 2021
AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj has blasted Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock for accusing former bandmate Jesy Nelson of "blackfishing" in her new "Boyz" video.
In a leaked text chain, new mum Pinnock appears to suggest Jesy had darkened her skin and changed her hair to appear more black in the promo, prompting Minaj, who appears alongside Sean "Love" Combs in the "Boyz" video, to start taking shots.
The "Anaconda" star has taken to Instagram to defend Jesy, stating, "When you try to bring someone down because you see them continuing to try and pursue their careers, you are a f**king clown. Immediately that person has to wear a big red clown nose and big clown boots..."
"There are lots of women out here in the United States that tan, get bigger lips, get all types of s**t done to themselves. I wear blonde hair, straight blonde hair down to my feet if I want to when I want to, contacts, whatever, I do whatever the f**k I want. As long as you're not hurting anybody or speaking negative about anybody's race or culture, you should be able to enjoy your make-up, your body however you want to."
Nicki has also accused Leigh-Anne of being "jealous" of Jesy's success outside Little Mix - the band she left in December 2020.
"Sweetheart, take them text messages and shove it up you're f**king a** [sic], because when you do clown s**t I gotta treat you and talk to you like you're a clown," the rap star adds. "It screams insecurity, it screams that you're jealous, only jealous people do things like this and now you just look like a big jealous bozo."
Jesy hasn't commented on the drama, but she thanked Nicki for defending her. She said, "Thank you babe, honestly that really means a lot. While we're on this subject I personally want to say my intention was never ever to offend people of color with this video and my song."
"Like I said when I was a young girl this is the music that I listened to, these are the videos I watched and thought were the best. I just wanted to celebrate that era of music because it's what I love, my intentions were never ever to offend anyone. It does really hurt me that I may have offended people and hurt people's feelings by genuinely celebrating things that I love."
The 30-year-old singer insists she wasn't wearing a fake tan in the "Boyz" video; she had just been on holiday. She also reveals Pinnock once asked her if she was mixed-race because of the way her skin reacted to the sun. She said, "Leigh-Anne even said to me in the group, 'Are you sure you're not mixed-race because you go darker than me in the sun?' "
