Some Nicki Minaj Fans Have Made Cruel Digs About Deon Cole's Mom After NAACP Awards Jokes — What Happened to Her?

Comedian Deon Cole is the talk of social media. After hosting the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 28, 2026, many people have taken to social media to share their disdain for how he handled his duties. Throughout the night, Deon made several jokes about celebrities, including Nicki Minaj, Teyana Taylor, and 50 Cent. However, the Barbz were not pleased with his antics, and things got ugly online.

As expected, the Barbz proceeded to read Deon for filth online and through DMs he shared. However, some went so far as to bring his mother into the mix. In case you didn’t know, Deon has been open about losing his mom, Charleen Cole, in 2021. So, what exactly happened to Deon Cole’s mom? Here’s the full scoop.

On Sept. 13, 2021, Deon took to Instagram to share the news that his mother had passed away.

“It’s with very heavy hearts, we let you know of the passing of Deon Cole’s beloved mother, Charleen Cole, on Friday, Sept. 10,” the caption reads. “Deon isn’t in a position to return calls or messages right now, but wants you all to know that he appreciates all of your love, light, and support, and thanks you for your continued thoughts and prayers for him and his family.”

Interestingly, Charleen’s cause of death was not mentioned in the post. Not to mention, it’s been nearly five years since her passing, and fans are still unsure as to how she transitioned.

Since then, he frequently posts about his mother and shares how it’s been hard navigating life without her.

Deon has been very open about his close relationship with his mom. In fact, the pair appeared on WGN News, where they played a game of “ Deon Cole’s Mother Knows Best in 2016.

The game included questions about the comedian being a bad influence, what he’s scared of, and meals he’d want his mother to cook for him.

One thing is for certain, and two things are for sure: The Barbz play absolutely no games when it comes to the Queen of Rap, Nicki Minaj.

During the NAACP Awards, fans noticed that Deon’s jokes about Nicki had more vitriol than when he was speaking about other celebrities.

"I want you to bless our sister Nicki Minaj," Cole said. "She's been going through a lot lately, but hasn't been herself, Lord. I believe whatever is in her a-- is affecting her brain. Take it out of her a--."

While the crowd erupted in laughter, and some celebrities, like Halle Bailey, appeared stunned by the joke, fans at home were not pleased.

On March 1, Deon took to Instagram to share screenshots from Barbz who sent him a slew of hateful messages. With messages ranging from insults about his late mother, including one fan telling him to “go dig your mama up,” to folks chewing him out for avoiding making jokes about people named in the Epstein files, they were not playing with him.

And while many folks in his comment section shared words of support for Cole, the same could not be said for others who sounded off under the post and on other social platforms.

Judging by the consensus, the Barbz are upset because it seems like folk have no problem talking about Nicki, when she’s not the only celebrity who has publicly shared her support for Trump. Additionally, many people have pointed out that Nicki seems to get more hate for her actions than other famous names like Jay-Z or Diddy.

In other words, it comes across as folks using Nicki as a crutch to joke about, rather than others they deem to have more pull and connections in the industry.

So far, Nicki has not uttered a word to respond to Cole’s jokes. However, many people online, including some who are not Barbz or consider themselves Nicki fans, have called out Deon and the NAACP for the incident. Since it was Black History Month, many people believe that Deon should never have been allowed to disrespect Nicki.