Explained: Everything said in Nicki Minaj and Jesy Nelson’s explosive Instagram Live

Nicki Minaj and Jesy Nelson went live on Instagram last night, to promote Nelson’s debut single Boyz that was released on Friday, featuring Minaj. Both the song’s lyrical content and the music video were met with backlash and accusations of ‘blackfishing’ (a term that refers to someone altering their appearance to appear Black or racially ambiguous) from many critics and fans.

Jesy Nelson has come under fire for this for a while, but the backlash reached new heights over the weekend with an article from Vulture where Jesy denied knowledge of the blackfishing and some DMs leaking that were allegedly from Leigh-Anne Pinnock saying Jesy blocked the Little Mix girls on Instagram. On Sunday night, Nicki Minaj announced that Jesy and her would be going live on Instagram to discuss Boyz.  During the live, Nicki Minaj seemed unsure on Jesy’s career origins or who Little Mix were, asking Jesy for details on how long she was in the band (despite the fact Nicki is featured on Little Mix’s single Woman Like Me). After Jesy explained her nine year history with the group, Nicki brought up the leaked DMs allegedly from Leigh-Anne that circulated online across the weekend.

Minaj said: “As soon as people can’t get a big with you they seem to want to stop your bag. If I was rocking about with you for 10 years and there was something so horrible about you and then as soon as we part ways I was texting about you immediately that person has to wear a big red clown nose and clown boots. When people part ways go about your f*cking business. Whether you brought it up behind closed doors or whatever, you are a f*cking clown.”

Nicki Minaj also directly defended Jesy Nelson on the Instagram Live over the blackfishing claims. “It’s a lot of women out here in the United States that tan, get bigger lips, get all kinds of sh*t done to themselves. I wear blonde hair straight down to my feet, contacts, whatever – as long as you’re not hurting nobody or speaking negatively about someone’s race you should be able to wear whatever you want to. What we won’t have is someone texting and telling influencers to talk badly about this girl, I know singers that tan a lot. It’s their f*cking business, it’s their f*cking right. It’s different when someone comes out and pretends to be Black.”

‘It screams that you’re jealous’

Referring directly to the DMs that allegedly came from Leigh-Anne, Minaj continued: “Sweetheart, take them messages and shove them up your ass. Don’t come out to try and ruin anyone, let her enjoy this time. Print them text messages out, buss that a*s open and shove it up your motherf*cking ass. If you want a solo career, baby girl go ahead and say that. You don’t have to attack someone else, if that’s how you felt, why were you kiki’ing with her for 10 years? It screams insecurity, it screams that you’re jealous. And now you just look like a big jealous bozo.”

Throughout Nicki Minaj’s rant, Jesy Nelson laughed at several points. She also thanked Nicki Minaj for the points she made, and then commented herself on the blackfishing claims: “Thank you babe, honestly that means a lot. While we’re on this subject, I just want to say my intention was never meant to offend people of colour with this song. I just wanted to celebrate that, that era of music because it’s what I love. When I was in the video with you, I didn’t even have any fake tan on I’d been in Antigua prior to that for three weeks. I’m just so lucky as a white girl that when I’m in the sun I tan so dark.”

Jesy then said that Leigh-Anne had mentioned Jesy’s skin tone to her on two occasions, one being after the video for Sweet Melody (Nelson’s last video as a member of Little Mix): “Leigh-Anne even said to me in the group, ‘Are you sure you’re not mixed race because you go darker than me in the sun, that’s crazy.’ My hair is naturally curly, I got it from my dad. I was in a group with two women of colour for nine years and it was never brought up to me up until the last music video that I did with them when she messaged me and said, ‘Jesy, I want to make you aware.'”

After the Instagram Live with Jesy Nelson had ended, Nicki Minaj tweeted the following: “JeLeigh b*tches acting real messy.”

Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who just gave birth to twins at the end of August, is yet to comment. Watch the full Jesy Nelson and Nicki Minaj Instagram Live here.

Recommended stories by this writer:

• Unpacking all the Little Mix and Jesy Nelson drama that happened over the weekend

• Jesy Nelson is being called out for ‘blackfishing’

• Jesy Nelson’s controversial solo single is out and people have a LOT to say about the video