Popular streamer xQc slammed Activision for keeping rapper Nicki Minaj’s skin in Call of Duty despite removing NICKMERCS’ operator due to his controversial remarks in 2023.
NICKMERCS came under fire in June 2023 for his response to a video showing a brawl that ensued between pro and anti-LGBT demonstrators outside of a California school board meeting over recognizing Pride Month. His post on social media about the situation sparked controversy because he defended the anti-LGBT protestors.
In response, the FaZe Clan content creator took a long break from streaming the title and claimed that his comments were not meant to hurt anyone. He later addressed his skin’s removal from CoD, thanking fans who stuck by him during the ordeal.
The controversy has died down somewhat since then, but xQc brought the discussion back up in a March 2024 livestream while playing Modern Warfare 3.
“How come they take off NICKMERCS’ f****** Operator for one thing he says, and they don’t remove Nicki Minaj, and she’s been going off her f****** rocker on some crack-head sh*t?” the streamer said on Kick.
xQc was referencing Minaj’s recent social media tirade and beef with Megan Thee Stallion. The feud between the two rappers started when Megan released the song ‘Hiss,’ where fans thought she threw some shade toward Minaj.
It wasn’t long before Minaj hit back with a track of her own called ‘Big Foot.’ During this time, Minaj had been posting a slew of eye-popping comments across social media and lashed out at Megan in a viral Instagram livestream.
xQc statement implies that there is a double standard from Activision toward controversial figures and their inclusion in CoD. The comparison, however, might not be as simple as the streamer makes it out to be as NICKMERCS is considered one of the faces of Call of Duty while Minaj doesn’t interact with the game or its community nearly as much.
Both figures, however, are not opposed to airing out their grievances with others in the public eye.
NICKMERCS has returned to streaming Call of Duty since the controversy and his skin’s removal, taking a break from Apex Legends and its “corny” community.