A celebrity photographer just revealed some inside information about Nicki Minaj and how she treats people behind the scenes.
Erik Madigan Heck collaborated with the rapper on a New York Times Magazine cover 11 years ago. He said the experience left him disgusted by her behavior.
After Nicki appeared at Donald Trump’s recent political event, the photographer shared his story on Instagram. He called her a “complete p############” and revealed some crazy details about the shoot.
Heck said Nikki was eight hours late for Terry Richardson’s previous shoot. He had to be prepared that if she didn’t like the photos, she might delete his hard drive. The team backed up each shot onto three different drives.
“After four hours of hair and makeup, she amazingly transformed into the character I depicted in the painting,” Heck wrote.
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But then things took a turn for the worse. After just eight innings, Nikki left the set. After only three photos, she wanted to leave.
“It’s about showing kindness,” the photographer said.
This is where things get really confusing. Heck revealed a conversation he had with Nikki’s security team during a smoke break.
“Her bodyguards all wore Glock 9 pistols on their waists,” he wrote. “While smoking, I asked one of her bodyguards why they tolerated her talking to them like she was a peasant.”
The bodyguards just smiled at him and said nothing. This silence speaks volumes about what they witnessed on set. Heck said he painted the portrait “as an example of a dictator.”
He called it a “protest poster” against “bad music, bad people, and magazines that put bad music and bad people on their covers.” The photographer also blasted Nicki as just a “provocateur” who never reached the level of Lil Kim or Foxy Brown.
The story comes after Nikki declared at a Treasury Department event that she was Trump’s “number one fan.” She gushed about the president and said criticism only made her support him more.
Trump’s support cost her dearly in Hollywood. Several celebrities unfollowed her on social media.
Lizzo pointed out the trend in a since-deleted TikTok video. She said fans shouldn’t be surprised when celebrities “get on board” for money and privilege.
Kim Petras, who collaborated with Nicki on the song “Alone,” appeared to echo her anti-trans comments. After Nicki attacked California Gov. Gavin Newsom, King wrote “BTW, Trans Kids Are Healthy.”
“Real Housewives” star Candiace Dillard Bassett shines on her podcast. She called Nicky “a picky person, an Uncle Tom, a clown, a degenerate.”
Rapper Kia told Nikki to “go back to Trinidad” and accused her of pretending to be Trump’s friend. Joe Budden said he was completely done defending her. He called her appearance at the American Music Festival “anti-black” and “the last candle on the cake.”
Charli XCX, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande have all unfollowed Nicki on social media. This was followed by the 2026 Grammy Awards on February 1. Host Trevor Noah mocked Nikki during his opening monologue.
“There was someone noticeably absent from the Grammys this year,” Noah said. “Nicki Minaj is still in the White House discussing very important issues with Donald Trump.”
The entire music industry laughed when footage showed Chrissy Teigen giving the joke a thumbs-up.
