Whoopi Goldberg wonders whether singer Nicki Minaj even knew what Nazism was before releasing her controversial music video that contains images strikingly similar to that of the Third Reich during World War II.
“We don’t teach a lot of history anymore,” Goldberg said. “We don’t teach the history of the world, we don’t teach the history of World War II, we don’t explain what went on.”
Guest co-host Naya Rivera, who is filling in for Rosie O’Donnell, disagreed with Goldberg, saying that she doubts Minaj doesn’t know about the evils of Nazism.
“But everybody knows, Nazis equal bad and we don’t talk about it,” Rivera said.
“People don’t know, baby,” Goldberg responded. “That’s the thing.”
“Nicki Minaj doesn’t know about the Holocaust?” Rivera asked.
“I don’t think she did,” Goldberg said.
“Well then I feel bad for Nicki,” Rivera said.
Rosie Perez was also skeptical of how Minaj could not understand what was being evoked in her music video.
“Didn’t she go to LaGuardia in New York City, a very reputable high school?” Perez asked.
“Part of the problem to me was the circular reasoning of all this,” co-host Nicolle Wallace said. “Why are we paying attention to Nicki Minaj instead of making sure our kids watch ‘Schindler’s List’? Part of the problem is the culture is focused on people who may not know what Nazism is and why it’s bad.”
Wallace went on to question why Minaj is so popular in the first place.
“Why she’s a person of influence is what puzzles my mind.”
“Maybe she did it on purpose because now we’re talking about her,” Rivera said.
As TheWrap previously reported, Minaj has since apologized for the controversy caused by her music video, saying on Twitter: “I didn’t come up w/the concept, but I’m very sorry & take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I’d never condone Nazism in my art.”
The Anti Defamation League, which initially condemned the video, calling it “unadulterated Nazi imagery” and “a new low for pop culture’s exploitation of Nazi symbolism,” accepted Minaj’s apology Tuesday.
“We are pleased that Nicki Minaj has taken full responsibility for the video and recognized that it was indeed offensive,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor. “Her clear renunciation of Nazism is an important step. We hope that she will take further steps to educate herself and her fans about who the Nazis were and why we should never take genocide or the Holocaust lightly.”
Watch the video from “The View” above.