Governor Gavin Newsom Responds with Megan Thee Stallion Track Amidst Nicki Minaj’s Critique of His Support for Trans Kids
Nicki Minaj has publicly criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom over his recent comments regarding transgender children, sparking a series of posts directed at him on social media. In a surprising twist, Newsom responded by sharing a video that many interpreted as a retort, referencing the words of Megan Thee Stallion.
The controversy began during Newsom’s appearance on The Ezra Klein Show on December 10. During the interview, he stated his desire “to see trans kids,” claiming a record of signing pro-trans legislation and advocating for the LGBTQ community.
Minaj responded to Newsom’s remarks on December 12, questioning his stance. “Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids,” she wrote. “Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would run on that. Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids.”
In a subsequent post, she remarked, “Gavin is the cute boy who got everything handed to him b/c of how cute & sexy & hot & smoking he was. He thinks he’s Tom Cruise only difference is, his next mission IS impossible. He should get another leading role.”
Over the following days, Minaj labeled Newsom a “Career politician” and declared it was the “end of the road” for him, stating he was “nothing more than a Nicki Minaj ANTI.”
While Newsom, who has a trans godson, has not directly addressed Minaj’s criticisms, he shared a video that many interpreted as an indirect response. The clip, captioned only with a mouth-zipped emoji, features a montage of himself and former President Donald Trump—whom Minaj has increasingly supported—accompanied by Megan Thee Stallion’s Billboard Hot 100 hit “Hiss.”
The 2024 track is seen as a diss against Minaj, who previously expressed offense at lines like “These h–s don’t be mad at Megan/ These h–s mad at Megan’s Law.” Minaj, married to Kenneth Petty, who is required to register as a sex offender following his 1995 conviction for attempted rape, has had her link to Megan’s Law—federal legislation regarding the disclosure of sex offender information—highlighted in the context of this controversy.
The lyric referencing Megan’s Law appears alongside an image of Trump next to Jeffrey Epstein, who faced serious legal issues, including charges related to soliciting prostitution and trafficking minors. This juxtaposition was featured in Newsom’s video, which also included newly released photographs of Trump from Epstein’s estate.
Minaj appeared to respond to Newsom’s video shortly afterward, posting, “Oh gavvy Pooh the ppl behind you clearly don’t care about you” and added, “Pooh this won’t get the results you guys are hoping for … I can go 8 stages deeper.”
She further commented, “Let’s wait…I think Gavvy’s still transitioning,” before posting a satirical, edited photo of herself putting Newsom in a headlock in a wrestling ring.
