Nicki Minaj, Eminem NOT Dating, Despite Reports

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Nicki Minaj and Eminem are not dating, despite what she wrote in an Instagram post. A Minaj confidante tells Gossip Cop she was “joking.” However, a number of outlets were all too giddy to report the supposed news without fact-checking.

While promoting her music in an Instagram post on Friday, a commenter asked Minaj, “You dating Eminem???” to which she replied, “yes.” The generally reliable TMZ then wrote, “Minaj just sent the internet into a frenzy, confirming she and Eminem are a couple.” The website further noted how she has a lyric in the song “Big Bank” that goes, “Told ’em I met Slim Shady, bag the Em. Once he go black, he’ll be back again.” It’s also noted that they collaborated on her song “Roman’s Revenge” eight years ago.

Eminem later played along with Minaj’s joke by writing, “Girl you know it’s true,” in response to the fellow rapper. She soon shot back, “Babe, I thought we were gonna keep it on the low til the wedding. Yikes. I’ll talk to you when I get home.” The exchange was just a gag.

Like TMZ, however, a number of other outlets similarly ran stories about the two dating without having checked their facts. The Daily Mail, for instance, ran the headline, “Nicki Minaj shocks fans as star confirms she’s DATING fellow rapper Eminem in revealing Instagram post.” The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote, “Nicki Minaj says she’s dating Eminem.”

“It Seems That Nicki Minaj Is Actually Dating Eminem” was how Vanity Fair titled its piece, before adding, “There’s no good way to say this, so out with it: Nicki Minaj seems to have confirmed that she’s dating Eminem.” Meanwhile, Page Six stated, “Nicki Minaj and Eminem could be a new couple.” And E! noted, “Nicki Minaj surprised fans this morning by revealing she’s dating another hip-hop heavyweight: Eminem.”

Once again, a source close to Minaj tells Gossip Cop on background that the messages between her and Eminem were just jokes. The two are good friends, but they’re not romantically involved. It’s worth noting, many fans on social media were quick to question the validity of the pair’s funny exchange, despite several media outlets wrongly assuming it was genuine.

Minaj has in fact dated several rappers in the past. She was most recently in a relationship with Nas, but they called it quits in January after seven months together. Prior to that, Minaj had romances with Meek Mill and Safaree Samuels. Eminem has not been added to the list of suitors.