Cardi B is defending herself after a joke she made on social media led to accusations of fatphobia. The controversy began when the rapper, 32, made a comment about her fans, whom she affectionately calls the BardiGang, after her 3XL merchandise sold out instantly. She referred to her fans as “fat as f*,**” a remark she insists was an “unserious joke” with her supporters.
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The comment quickly drew criticism online, with people labeling her insensitive and fatphobic. In a TikTok video, Cardi B addressed the backlash, stating that she was being “attacked from left to right.” She explained that the comment was an “innocent joke between me and my fans” and that it was “never that serious.” She further clarified her stance on body image, saying, “I don’t give a f*** if you’re fat, skinny, BBL-down, got big feet, got small feet, whatever, as long as you don’t stink.” Despite the criticism, she doubled down on her comments, stating, “I’m not going to apologize though.” She concluded the video by holding a cupcake to the camera, saying, “If I got you so upset, here’s a cupcake.”
The situation escalated when plus-size fashion influencer and activist Samyra Miller weighed in on the issue. Miller created a video addressing Cardi B directly, urging the star to read books to “unlearn fatphobia.” Miller suggested that Cardi B’s jokes might be contributing to the very body-shaming she experiences herself, saying, “Maybe if you stopped using fat people at the expense of jokes, then people wouldn’t do the same for your BBL.”
Cardi B did not take kindly to Miller’s advice, responding in another TikTok video with a rant that told the influencer to “shut the f*** up.” She stated that “not everything is revolutionary” and that she would not be apologizing or reading a book on the matter. In a subsequent video, Cardi B clarified that any apology would be “fake and forced” since she didn’t believe she was being insulting. The rapper ended her final video on the topic by stating her preference for watching documentaries on topics like gentrification-driven violence and history, and concluded that the online debate was “not a big deal” in the grand scheme of things.
