Deb Antney didn't need a long caption to make her feelings known. The veteran music executive, who guided Nicki Minaj through her early mixtape days and stayed one of her most visible supporters for years, shared a viral video to her Instagram Story this week that takes aim at the rapper's support of President Donald Trump. The clip is a reel from content creator i.am.neiko. Fan pages on X caught the repost and spread it on Wednesday (October 28), and the conversation picked up quickly from there.
The video speaks to Nicki directly. "Some of us are not speaking out because we hate you," the creator says. "We're actually speaking out because we remember you before the political rallies, before Air Force One, before the president was praising your body in front of thousands of people." He goes on to credit Black women, Black girls, the LGBTQ community, and immigrants with helping carry her to the top. Antney's own words were brief: she left a quick "Thsnk you" (typo and all) under the reel. Coming from someone so closely tied to Nicki's story, though, the share said plenty on its own.
Read more: Nicki Minaj Joins Donald Trump In Michigan, Gets Called Out For Her "Beautiful A**" On Stage
Deb Antney Shares Video Questioning Nicki Minaj's Trump Support
The timing makes sense. On Sunday (October 25), Nicki flew with Trump on Air Force One and joined him onstage at a midterm rally in Port Huron, Michigan. She led the crowd in chants of "We love Trump!" and urged voters to back Republican candidates Mike Rogers and John James. Earlier in his speech, Trump singled her out from the podium. "By the way, I looked at a beautiful a** before," he said. "Nicki Minaj. That's hard to miss." He then asked her to stand up. The moment split fans online, and the reel Antney shared lands right in the middle of that debate. Under the original post, one commenter called it "one of the best sum ups of this situation with Nicki Minaj."
What makes the repost stand out is the history behind it. Antney has long treated Nicki like family. She once said she turned down a $5 million offer to walk away from the rapper, telling Ray Daniels Presents, "But you can't pay me enough," and adding, "that's my child." In March, The Jasmine Brand reported, citing sources, that Antney had parted ways with Nicki over political differences. Antney appeared to push back by reposting a message calling the report "false news." Neither has publicly cleared up where their working relationship stands, and Nicki has yet to respond to the Story share. Still, when someone who once called her "my child" quietly co-signs a message like this, fans are going to read between the lines.
