And why some fans weren’t too thrilled to see Nicki posing with her husband

NICKI Minaj has been promoting the upcoming release of her Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded deluxe album with a mix of current and former pregnancy photos.

The Super Bass singer has been confusing fans over the past week with her Instagram posts, counting down to her album’s release on September 13.

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Nicki Minaj shares a filtered video showing off her baby bump while promoting her upcoming deluxe album releaseCredit: Instagram / nickiminaj

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Nicki Minaj shares a throwback photo of her pregnant belly while snapping a mirror selfie with her husband Kenneth PettyCredit: Instagram/NickiMinaj

Kenneth Petty rubs his wife Nicki Minaj’s baby bump in a throwback video while promoting her Gag City Reloaded deluxe album releaseCredit: Instagram / nickiminaj
On Thursday, Nicki, 41, shared a carousel post featuring a photo of her standing with her husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty.

“2 weeks away from #GAGCITYPHILLY,” she wrote in the caption.

In the shot, Kenneth, 46, stood behind the rapper with his hands on her large baby bump.

Nicki had pushed up her shirt to fully reveal her bare bump as she snapped the mirror selfie.

TELLING US SOMETHING?

In the comments, fans were confused by the shot and wondering if Nicki was making a pregnancy announcement.

Nicki and Kenneth share one child, welcoming their son, nicknamed “Papa Bear,” in September 2020.

“Omg i thought u were pregnant again for one sec,” one person wrote.

“Me too I was gonna say oh my goodness nobody told me nothing,” a second agreed.

“She had me looking through old posts making sure I didn’t miss anything! 5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back,” a third said.

On Monday, the Starships hitmaker shared another carousel Instagram post to promote her album release.

Fans once again wondered if the couple was expecting their second child, as a video of Nicki’s pregnant belly was included in the post.

The clip showed Nicki wearing a bathing suit with her bump on full display as her husband rubbed her stomach from behind.

“Is you tryna tell us something Nicki #babynum2coming,” one person commented.

“Baby no. 2 soon I pray,” a second hoped.

“Mama I think sumn cooking in that oven chilee,” another wrote.

Others noted that the video was a throwback from her previous pregnancy.

“I’m loving the pics from the vault ok [clapping hands] the preggers vid,” someone said.

Nicki’s newest deluxe album release comes after she dropped her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, in December 2023.

The album was a sequel to her 2010 album, Pink Friday, which featured hits such as Moment 4 Life and Roman’s Revenge.

NICKI & KEN

Along with some confusion over the photos in Nicki’s posts, many fans showed excitement over Nicki’s upcoming release.

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Nicki Minaj performs onstage during her Pink Friday 2 World Tour at Madison Square Garden on March 30 in New York CityCredit: Getty
Others, however, commented on her husband’s criminal record, as he was featured in many photos.

“I lost all respect for her because of that excuse of a man she’s with,” one person wrote.

Nicki and Ken knew each other before they were famous, and they had dated before getting married in 2019.

Despite his successes in the music business, Kenneth has garnered a criminal record after a 1995 conviction.

He is a registered sex offender who spent four years behind bars after being convicted of first-degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Following his release from jail, Kenneth served a second prison sentence from 2006-2013 after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter charges.

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Nicki Minaj poses for a family photo with her husband Kenneth Petty and their son ‘Papa Bear’Credit: nickiminaj/Instagram
After marrying Minaj, he was then arrested for a third time in 2020 after failing to register as a sex offender in California.

He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $100,000 bond.

He had to wear an ankle monitor and follow a strict curfew, but he later changed his plea to guilty in September 2021.

In July 2022, he was sentenced to one year of home confinement for failing to register as a sex offender.

According to the representative for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Kenneth was also sentenced to three years of probation and fined $55,000.

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Nicki Minaj performs at her Pink Friday 2 World Tour at Madison Square Garden on March 30Credit: Getty

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Nicki Minaj shares a photo of her son, nicknamed ‘Papa Bear,’ as he wears a $600 Fendi onesieCredit: Instagram

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Rapper Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty pose with their newborn son on the couchCredit: Instagram