D.L. Hughley calls out Nicki Minaj after her criticism of Gov. Gavin Newsom

DL Hughley referenced Nicki Minaj’s husband and her political stances while calling out her recent beef with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

D.L. Hughley is weighing in on Nicki Minaj’s recent criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

The actor and comedian took to Threads on Sunday to respond to Minaj’s ongoing commentary about Newsom and his support of transgender children. In his post, Hughley aimed directly at the rapper, referencing her husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, writing:  “Nicki Minaj shouldn’t post anything about kids cuz her husband can’t be within 1000 ft of one!” 

“It ain’t Gavin [Newsom] it’s Chris [Hansen] she should be worried about,” he added, referencing the former “To Catch a Predator” host.

Hughley later expanded on his comments in a video shared to his TikTok and Instagram, calling out Minaj’s recent political alignment former President Donald Trump.

“She supports a dude that is on the Epstein list 1,000 times,” Hughley said, referring to Trump’s alleged association with Jeffrey Epstein. “She’s actually married to a registered sex offender, a pedophile.” 

@_realdlhughley_ #TeamDl ♬ original sound – DL

Petty, Minaj’s husband, is a registered sex offender following a 1995 conviction for first-degree rape in New York. He served four years in prison and, in 2022, was sentenced to one year of home confinement and three years of probation after failing to register as a sex offender in California.

The comedian’s remarks come amid Minaj’s escalating public criticism of Gov. Newsom. Though the exact origin of her dispute with the governor remains unclear, Minaj took to social media over the weeked to share her disdain for the California governor and his support for transgender children. 

After Newsom went viral for saying, “I want to see trans kids. I have a trans godson. There’s no governor who has signed more pro-trans legislation than I have. No one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ community,” during an interview with Ezra Klein, Minaj shared he reaction on X. 

“Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids,” she wrote, criticizing the governor’s phrasing and intent. “Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids.”

Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids. Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would run on that. Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids.

Not Gav

The Gav Nots

GavOUT

Send in the next guy, I’m bored. pic.twitter.com/627bIhbD1j— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) December 12, 2025

Though Newsom did not directly respond to Minaj’s comments, he did share a post on Instagram that many users perceived as shady. The Instagram video highlighted photos of Trump and Epstein that were released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee and was set to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss,” a song widely believed to be a diss track aimed at Minaj.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gavin Newsom (@gavinnewsom)

This prompted Minaj to tweet: “Let’s wait…I think Gavvy’s still transitioning.”