Nicki Minaj may not have been the one to anger Super Bowl viewers with the flip of her finger, but she did manage to upset the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights with her Sunday night performance at the Grammy Awards, Billboard reports.
Minaj sang “Roman Holiday” while a pretaped segment of a mock exorcism played for the audience. It began with her singing a strange version of “I Feel Pretty” while pretending to be in a Catholic church confessional. She also walked the red carpet Sunday night arm-in-arm with a man dressed as the Pope.
In a statement, Catholic League president Bill Donohue expressed his organization’s strong disapproval.
“Perhaps the most vulgar part was the sexual statement that showed a scantily clad female dancer stretching backwards while an altar boy knelt between her legs in prayer,” he said.
Donohue also targeted The Recording Academy for consenting to Minaj’s performance. He said that since the performance was planned, not an accident, the Grammy Awards is responsible.
“Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question,” said Donohue, “but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam.”