Cardi B was in court this week — and going viral. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper is on trial for a 2018 incident involving security guard Emani Ellis, who is accusing Cardi B — real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar — of assaulting her during an altercation at a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s office. Now clips of her testimony, as well as her head-turning court looks, are being “memeified” across the internet.
So what’s going on with Cardi B’s court case — and why is the internet finding it so funny? Here’s a rundown.
Why Cardi B is on trial
Back in 2018, Ellis was a security guard at the building where Cardi, who had not publicly announced her pregnancy with first child Kulture at the time, was going for a medical appointment.
Ellis claims that she saw Cardi and said her name out of excitement, sparking an angry reaction from the rapper. According to Ellis, Cardi accused her of telling other people she was in the doctor’s office, shouted obscenities and physically attacked her, leaving a scar on her face. Ellis outlined these allegations in a lawsuit filed in 2020, accusing Cardi of assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress as well as negligence.
That lawsuit is now being litigated in a civil trial, which began on Aug. 26 and is being held in Alhambra, Calif., near Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ellis is suing Cardi for $24 million, .
What Cardi B is saying on the stand
Cardi denied much of Ellis’s account when she was called to testify this week. But it was her famously emotive facial expressions and quippy responses on the witness stand that have gone viral across social media.
When asked by the plaintiff’s lawyer Ron Rosen if she was physically capable of attacking Ellis, given that she was pregnant at the time, Cardi responded, “I was pregnant. I couldn’t protect myself, even if I wanted to. She’s like twice my size.” When Rosen asked if Cardi thought the security guard was overweight, Cardi just looked around the room, suggesting to some observers that she did, indeed, mean that.
When asked by Rosen if Cardi had called his client “fat” at the time of their argument, Cardi said “No, I was calling her a bitch.”
Another viral moment had to do with Cardi’s hair, which changed frequently during her multi-day testimony. The rapper, who often changes her hairstyle with wigs, was questioned by Rosen about what her hair looked like on the day of the conflict with Ellis.
“Yesterday you had black hair, short hair. Today it’s blonde and long. Which one is your real hair? Or are they both real?” Rosen asked during his cross-examination.
Cardi laughed before replying, “They’re wigs.”
Rosen admitted he “didn’t know that,” telling Cardi, “It’s a good wig today, then.”
Cardi is not expected to take the stand again, and closing arguments in the trial are slated to begin on Sept. 2.
In the meantime, the internet can’t get enough of Cardi’s time on the stand. In the comments section of one Instagram post of her viral moments, fans applauded Cardi’s hilarious retorts and unapologetic expressions. One wrote, “Her energy is unmatched. Love her.” Another added, “You can’t dislike this lady even if you tried. Just think if she gets a law degree.” A third said, “This really need to be put on snl. My girl was eating them up.”
Cardi, a Bronx native, is no stranger to comedy. She launched her career — and became famous for her one-liners — during a 2015 to 2017 stint on the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York. After becoming one of the most successful female rappers of all time, the artist appeared for a small but memorable comedic role in the 2019 film Hustlers, where she returned to her strip club roots. In 2021, she appeared in Fast9 and Fast X, two films in the Fast and Furious franchise.
Cardi was slated to appear in the movie Assisted Living, in which she was to star as a criminal hiding out in her grandmother’s retirement home — with the help of some prosthetics. However, the rapper pulled out of the movie in 2022.
