Nicki Minaj and Kenneth “Zoo” Petty are still basking in marital bliss, despite recent rumors that she split from the registered sex offender. Divorce rumors emerged on April 14 after fans noticed that she removed his name from her social media. However, “things are totally good with Nicki and Ken,” a source close to the “Hard White” rapper, 37, tells HollywoodLife, exclusively, confirming, “They’re still together.”
“People are jumping to conclusions,” the insider notes, confirming once more that the couple did “not” split. “Maybe it’s wishful thinking because people don’t like him, but they are together and still totally in love,” the source says.
Nicki changed her Twitter handle from “Mrs. Petty” to the title of her latest song, “YIKES,” on Tuesday after noon. She also changed her Instagram name to “Barbie,” which is another name she goes by musically. As for the reason behind the name changes? — Well, that was just business.
“It’s to promote her music, not to secretly hint that it’s over with Kenneth,” the source explains.
As of April 15, Nicki changed her Twitter name back to “Mrs. Petty — a moniker she went by on both of her Twitter and Instagram accounts since August 2019.
Nicki and Kenneth, 42, went public with their relationship in December 2018, when she shared PDA photos of them from a romantic trip to Turks and Caicos. The pair previously dated as teenagers in their native Queens, New York, before the rapper rose to fame.
Nicki and Kenneth tied the knot in a small ceremony on October 21, 2019, she revealed in a post on Instagram. The Grammy-winner posted a video of a pair of “Mr. and Mrs.” mugs and two caps with the words bride and groom on them. “Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10•21•19,” Nicki captioned the post, along with bride and groom emojis.
One person who may not enjoy the news that Nicki and Kenneth’s marriage is doing well is Wendy Williams. The host said Nicki “should’ve never married Kenneth” during an episode of her daytime talk show in March. Wendy has made it a point on her show to slam the rapper’s husband over his criminal history.
Kenneth was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 2006 and served several years in prison. Following his time behind bars, Kenneth was forced to register as a sex offender.
Kenneth’s most recent arrest occurred in March when he was pulled over for a traffic violation in California, where he now resides with Nicki. He was arrested when police discovered that he was registered as a sex offender in New York, but not in California. Kenneth pleaded not guilty and was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, abide by a curfew, surrender his passport and restrict travel to Southern California. Nicki never addressed her husband’s arrest.