Cardi B switching wigs in court sparks laughter and viral memes

Cardi B courtroom wig switch leaves fans laughing and meme-making.

Cardi B will ask her fans, “Am I the Drama?” on her new record. It’s been weeks, but some people who have been watching her trial seem to have come to a decision.

The hip-hop artist, who has won a Grammy, testified in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday about an alleged incident with Emani Ellis, a former security guard.

According to court papers seen by NBC News and Today.com, Ellis sued Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, saying that she hit her in the hallway of an obstetrician’s office in Beverly Hills in 2018. Cardi B has rejected the claims.

The famous trial is the latest court case to get a lot of attention online and lead to a lot of memes. A lot of people have compared it to Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2023 ski crash trial, which got the same reaction from fans.

Cardi B fans have made jokes about her rough answers and facial reactions during her cross-examination in videos that have been shared on X, TikTok, and Instagram.

There was a video of Cardi B’s statement on X, and someone wrote, “Cardi B in court today was like an SNL skit.” As of Thursday afternoon, more than 7.2 million people had seen the post.

A person who works for Cardi B did not answer a request for comment Thursday.

A communications professor at Northwestern University named Aymar Jean Christian said that the main reason people are interested in Cardi B’s story online is that they view her as honest.

In a “hyper-formalized setting … most people would assume you’re going to put on a show of being demure, kind of tamping down all of the interesting, rough edges of yourself for a little proceeding,” he said.

She is instead seen “being saucy and a little flippant, and I think people like that,” Christian said. “She’s a huge star because she can’t help but be herself.”

Ellis testified in court on Monday and said in papers that Cardi B hit her in the head, face, and body, spit on her, and used a lot of racial slurs. She says that Cardi B “used her fame” to get her fired.

The lawsuit says Ellis said she got “psychological and medical treatment as a result of this incident.” According to court papers, she is asking for money to cover her medical bills, her emotional and physical pain, and her lost wages.

the US rapper has said she didn’t hit or spit on Ellis.

Even though the accusations were serious, many people online found Cardi B’s statement funny.

She said that she wasn’t telling anyone about her pregnancy with her first child with rapper Offset at the time of the claimed event. She said Ellis followed her to the doctor’s office on the fifth floor.

Cardi B said, “Yes, I was angry!” when asked if she was “angry” at Ellis that day. Because I am expecting! This girl is about to beat me up!”

It was asked if she was “disabled” at the time of the purported event. She replied, “When I’m pregnant, I’m very disabled.” Do you want me to tell you what I can’t do?”

Clips that have been shared online show that her answer made people laugh in court.

Famous meme influencer Saint Hoax, with 3.4 million Instagram followers, wrote, “This is Cardi at her Cardi-est,” under a post about the trial.

Evan Ross Katz, a culture critic with 427,000 Instagram followers, joked in a post that he would have been kicked out of court if he had been there for Cardi B’s statement “because he was laughing so hard at this.”

Cardi B talked about Ellis in her post, calling her “security heavy” and someone who “looks like she can protect a building.”

Some people online also said things about Cardi B’s different wigs. She even confused a lawyer in court when she switched from a short black wig to a long blonde one.

YouTube videos of the trial show that the lawyer asked, “Which one is your real hair?” “Are they both real?”

Cardi B laughed and said, “They’re wigs.”

But there have also been times when the case has been very heated.

According to a video posted on X by writer Meghann Cuniff, Ellis’s lawyer asked Cardi B to remember the words she used with Ellis in 2018. She replied by saying the same bad words she had used with Ellis the day before. The lawyer then told Cardi B to say what she said “to her face.”

Cardi B’s lawyer, Peter J. Anderson, spoke out against the argument and asked the judge, “Your Honor, can we have civility in this courthouse?”

The judge responded, “Why don’t we just cool things down a bit?” “Please ask her real questions if you have them. Don’t fight with her right now.

Biblical, the professor at Northwestern, said that Cardi B’s trial might get her more attention before her new record comes out on September 19.

“It looks like she knows this is being filmed, and she’s using it like any other chance to talk to the media and get people to support her,” she said.

The trial is likely to go on and end next week, after the Labor Day break.