The rapper cited two past Hochul remarks about Black New Yorkers. The governor has expressed regret for one and called the other a joke.
By EEW Magazine Online Editors
Rapper Nicki Minaj, left, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Photos: Getty Images; Illustration: EEW Magazine Online)
Nicki Minaj called New York Gov. Kathy Hochul “an evil woman” who “will not escape God’s wrath” in a series of posts on X on Wednesday. The rapper-turned-activist questioned how Black people and Christians could support the Democrat and urged them to back Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman less than a week before the Nov. 3 election.
Hochul, asked about the posts while campaigning in Albany, said Minaj should “get outside and get offline a little more” and “stop going to Trump rallies,” which she said were “poisoning your mind.”
Minaj’s first post, published around 5:30 p.m. Eastern, said the Democratic Party “should forfeit her seat because even if she wins, she will be of great consequence to them.” She added, “Downward spiral for her,” and wrote that Hochul “did not denounce evil when she had the chance.”
Minaj did not explain what evil she was referencing.
About 10 minutes later, she shared another user’s video of Hochul’s May 2024 remark about Black children in the Bronx not knowing what a computer is, writing: “How dare you as Black people vote for this vile wicked curse of a woman? How dare you as Christians?! She stays silent on harm being caused to the innocent & this is what she thinks of your children! Vote Blakeman!”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul waves during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In a third post, responding to a clip of Hochul’s 2025 remarks at a Buffalo church, Minaj accused the governor of keeping “horrible company” and of laughing at “the demonic things her friends do behind the scenes” to people with less political power.
She named no one and offered no evidence. “Dear God, help us,” she wrote.
The Bronx remark came May 6, 2024, at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California. During a discussion of artificial intelligence, Hochul said: “Right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word computer is.” Bronx Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo called the comment “harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling.”
Hochul said later that day, “I misspoke and I regret it,” explaining that her concern was children’s access to technology. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who represents the Bronx, called the words “inartful and hurtful” but said they did not reflect her heart.
The church remark came Sept. 7, 2025, at True Bethel Baptist Church, a predominantly Black congregation. Promoting state inflation rebate checks, Hochul told worshippers to “get something you really need,” adding, “Don’t stop by the liquor store, okay?” and urging them to buy food for their children. She followed with, “Sometimes I have to stop by the liquor store too. I understand,” according to the governor’s official transcript.
At the time, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik criticized the comment as racially insensitive. Hochul called it a “lighthearted joke” and said she regretted that some people took it as a generalization about the community. The church’s pastor, Bishop Darius Pridgen, defended her, saying he was surprised anyone considered it racist.
Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, welcomed the attention. “Nicki, I’ve got the U-Haul ready,” he posted. “It’s time to fire the worst governor in America.”
Minaj’s most prominent faith-based advocacy has focused on violence against Christians in Nigeria. She addressed it at a November 2025 event hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Her posts about Hochul did not mention that cause.
The posts are a reversal for Minaj, who in New York’s 2018 Democratic primaries urged voters to support Andrew Cuomo for governor, Hochul for lieutenant governor and Letitia James for attorney general. She has since become an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, calling herself “probably the president’s No. 1 fan” at a Washington event in January. She joined him Oct. 25 at a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she told him, “I will continue to support you forever and ever.”
Hochul, who is seeking a second full term, leads Blakeman 54% to 40% among likely voters in a Siena poll released Wednesday. She leads 53% to 42% among likely voters in a Marist poll released the same day.
The Siena survey, conducted Oct. 19-22, before Minaj’s posts, found Hochul ahead “with Black voters, 81-16%,” according to Siena pollster Steven Greenberg. Early voting runs through Nov. 1.