Stephen Colbert mocks Nicki Minaj’s Covid-19 misinformation with ‘Super Balls’ sketch

Rapper was criticised for tweets about vaccine

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert has ridiculed Nicki Minaj for her now-infamous coronavirus misinformation tweet.

Minaj caused controversy this week when she tweeted an unsubstantiated story about her cousin’s friend in Trinidad who she claimed “became impotent” after taking the Covid vaccine. She claimed his testicles became “swollen”.

Impotence is not listed as a potential side-effect by the NHS or the US’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention websites. There is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine causes fertility problems.

Parodying her 2011 hit “Super Bass”, Colbert unveiled “Super Balls”, featuring a woman rapping over the song with new lyrics about “swollen testes” and “beach ball nads”.

The sketch comes after many politicians spoke out against Minaj’s comments.

Chris Whitty, the UK’s chief medical officer, described Minaj’s remarks as “clearly ridiculous” and “clearly designed just to scare”, adding: “Many… know they are pedalling untruths but they still do it. In my view, they should be ashamed.”

The White House has also offered to answer Minaj’s questions about the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines.

If she accepts, a doctor from the Biden administration will get in touch with the rapper on a call to provide a primer on how the approved Covid vaccines work, officials said.

The “Super Bass” singer, however, appeared to have misconstrued the offer for a call as an invite to the White House.

On Wednesday, she tweeted: “The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Adding that she’ll be dressed in all pink “like Legally Blonde”, Minaj promised to ask questions on behalf of those “who have been made fun of for simply being human”.

White House officials quickly clarified that only a phone call was on the table.