Rosie O’Donnell Attacks Nicki Minaj Over Brother’s Conviction & Family Criminal History

Rosie O’Donnell went after Nicki Minaj on Instagram, calling out her family’s criminal past and questioning her American heritage.

The 63-year-old comedian reposted a brutal takedown of the rapper on social media, targeting Minaj’s recent support for Trump and her appearance at conservative events.

O’Donnell’s Instagram post highlighted Minaj’s real name, Onika Tanya Maraj and her birthplace in Trinidad and Tobago. “Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago = not American,” read the post O’Donnell shared.

It also brought up Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a child. Her brother was found guilty in 2017 and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2020 for repeatedly assaulting his victim.

O’Donnell also called Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, a “convicted criminal.” Petty was convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman when they were both 16.

The attack comes after Minaj made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest event in Arizona on December 22. She joined CEO Erika Kirk on stage and praised Trump and JD Vance, calling them “role models” for young men.

Nicki Minaj also spoke at the United Nations in November, where she thanked Trump for his stance on protecting Christians in Nigeria. The rapper has been increasingly vocal about her conservative views and support for Trump’s policies.

O’Donnell has been feuding with Trump for nearly 20 years, dating back to 2006 when she criticized him on The View. The feud reignited in 2025 when Trump threatened to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship.

She responded by moving to Ireland and applying for Irish citizenship. Fans flooded O’Donnell’s comment section with reactions to her post about Minaj.

“Glad she [Nicki Minaj] did this, though. I’ve been questioning her mental stability for a while now; this confirms everything I suspected,” one user wrote. Another said, “Nicki can’t compete with Megan & cardi so she’s trying to stay relevant.”

Nicki Minaj has not responded to O’Donnell’s Instagram attack. The rapper posted an American flag emoji on Twitter on December 23 but made no direct reference to the controversy.

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