BET issued a statement apologizing to Nicki Minaj for a tweet that shaded her while simultaneously celebrating Cardi B’s Grammy win for best rap album.
“Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lacefront,” the since-deleted tweet from the network read, redirecting to an article on BET.com about Cardi’s award.
However, the damage was already done, as fans took screenshots of the tweet and called out the network for its comment, calling the tweet “insensitive” and “disrespectful.”
Minaj announced Monday via Twitter that she and the rest of Young Money would pull out of this year’s BET Awards and BET Experience, where she was set to perform as a headliner.
“Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show,” she tweeted. “Summer Tour dates dropping soon.”
Amid the backlash, BET issued a statement to Billboard apologizing to the rapper:
“BET loves Nicki Minaj. We have supported her from the very beginning of her career and will continue to do so moving forward. Nicki has paved the way for so many performers and has solidified her place as one of the most powerful figures in the music industry. Unfortunately, the respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written. The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values. We deeply apologize for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation. We are also conducting an internal audit to assure these types of posts are not published again. We have apologized to Nicki and her team. The post has been removed and we have taken additional appropriate action. We understand Nicki’s position and look forward to continuing our dialogue with her. Finally, we apologize to all of her fans. This should have never happened.”
The BET Experience is set to take place in Los Angeles June 20-22, followed by the BET Awards ceremony on June 23.
