Sen. Mark Kelly Laughs Off Nicki Minaj’s Moon Landing Denial
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut who flew four space shuttle missions, brushed off Nicki Minaj’s claim that the moon landing never happened, laughing as he addressed the comment when asked by a MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez.
Related: Nicki Minaj Says She Doesn’t Believe the Moon Landing Happened
MeidasTouch broke the news that Minaj made the remark earlier this week on Katie Miller’s podcast during a discussion about conspiracy theories, saying she does not believe humans ever landed on the moon.
.@PabloReports: What do you make of Nicki Minaj saying the moon landing never happened?
Kelly: You know what the Soviets said after Apollo 11? “Congratulations.” They tracked us all the way to the surface. I would suggest that she lay off the conspiracy theories and study some… pic.twitter.com/7Xl7zEZNnO
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 5, 2026
“There’s like a whole crazy community of people out there that believe in these nutty conspiracy theories,” Kelly said. He pointed to the Cold War space race with the Soviet Union as definitive proof of the Apollo missions, noting that the USSR independently tracked Apollo 11 to the moon.
“Do you know what they said after Apollo 11?” Kelly added. “They said congratulations. They tracked us to the surface of the moon and they congratulated us.” He concluded by suggesting Minaj “lays off the conspiracy theories and study some history.”
Senator Mark Kelly: “I would suggest that she lays off the conspiracy theories and study some history.”
Nicki Minaj has described herself as Trump’s #1 fan and appeared with him and his cabinet members to push Trump’s policy. The rapper has essentially been functioning as a MAGA celebrity influencer for the administration. No word yet from Minaj on NASA’s plan to return to the moon soon.
This story was originally published by MeidasTouch on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add MeidasTouch as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
