Cardi B's Court Testimony Becomes An Online Spectacle. So Do Her Wigs.

In her upcoming workplace album, Cardi B asks fans "Am I nan Drama?" Weeks up of nan album's release, immoderate who person been pursuing her proceedings look to person settled connected an answer.

Cardi B, nan Grammy-award winning rapper, took nan guidelines successful a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday successful a lawsuit involving an alleged incident pinch erstwhile information defender Emani Ellis.

Ellis revenge a suit against Cardi B, whose existent sanction is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, alleging that she physically attacked her successful nan hallway of a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s agency successful 2018, according to tribunal documents obtained by NBC News and Today.com. Cardi B has denied nan allegations.

The proceedings has go nan latest ineligible lawsuit involving a personage to captivate audiences online and spark a flurry of memes. Many person likened it to character Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski clang proceedings successful 2023, which prompted a akin guidance from fans.

In clips that person circulated crossed X, TikTok and Instagram, fans of Cardi B person joked astir her facial reactions and blunt responses to questions during her cross-examination.

“Cardi B successful tribunal coming was for illustration an SNL skit,” an X personification wrote successful a station that accompanied video of nan testimony. The station had been viewed much than 7.2 cardinal times arsenic of Thursday afternoon.

A typical for Cardi B did not respond to a petition for remark Thursday.

Aymar Jean Christian, a communications professor astatine Northwestern University, said group online are astir apt drawn to nan grounds because they respect Cardi B's authenticity.

Amid a "hyper-formalized mounting ... astir group would presume you're going to put connected a show of being demure, benignant of tamping down each of nan interesting, unsmooth edges of yourself for a small proceeding," Christian said.

Instead, Cardi B is seen "being saucy, a small flippant, and I deliberation group bask that,” Christian said. “She cannot thief but beryllium herself, which is why she’s a immense star.”

Ellis, who testified Monday, alleges successful tribunal documents that Cardi B struck her successful nan head, look and body, spit connected her and utilized aggregate group slurs. She claims Cardi B “used her personage status” to get her fired.

Ellis said she received “psychological and aesculapian curen arsenic a consequence of this incident,” according to nan lawsuit. She seeks damages that see aesculapian expenses, compensation for affectional and beingness suffering and mislaid wages, according to tribunal documents.

Cardi B has denied spitting connected aliases scratching Ellis.

Despite nan severity of nan allegations, galore online appeared amused by Cardi B's testimony.

At nan clip of nan alleged incident, she said, she was keeping nan gestation of her first kid pinch rapper Offset a secret. She claimed Ellis followed her to her fifth-floor doctor’s appointment.

Pressed astir whether she was "angry" astatine Ellis that day, Cardi B said: “Yes I was angry! Because I’m pregnant! And this girl’s astir to hit my ass!”

Asked whether she was “disabled” astatine nan clip of nan alleged incident, she said: “When you’re pregnant, I’m very disabled. You want maine to show you things I can’t do?”

Her consequence was met pinch laughter successful nan courtroom, according to clips that circulated online.

"this is cardi astatine her cardiest," celebrated meme influencer Saint Hoax, who has 3.4 cardinal followers connected Instagram, wrote successful nan caption of a station astir nan trial.

Meanwhile, civilization commentator Evan Ross Katz, who has 427,000 followers connected Instagram, joked successful his station that he would person been removed from nan courtroom if he were location for Cardi B's grounds "on relationship of laughing truthful difficult astatine this."

His station included clips of Cardi B describing Ellis arsenic “security heavy” and personification who “looks for illustration she tin protect a building.”

Some online also commented connected Cardi B's various wigs. She moreover confused an lawyer successful nan courtroom aft she swapped a short achromatic wig for a agelong blond one.

“Which 1 is your existent hair?" nan lawyer asked, according to video clips of nan proceedings shared online. "Or are they some real?”

“They’re wigs," Cardi B said aft laughing.

But nan lawsuit has besides been, astatine times, very heated.

Ellis' lawyer asked Cardi B to callback nan connection she utilized successful interacting pinch Ellis successful 2018, according to video shared connected X by journalist Meghann Cuniff. She responded by repeating nan profanities she said to Ellis that day. The lawyer past asked Cardi B to opportunity nan remarks straight “to her face.”

The speech prompted Cardi B's lawyer Peter J. Anderson to entity and inquire nan judge, “Your Honor, tin we person civility successful this courthouse?”

“Why don’t we conscionable return nan somesthesia down a small bit?" nan judge replied. "If you person existent questions to inquire her, please do so. It’s not clip to reason pinch her.”

Christian, nan Northwestern professor, suggested nan proceedings could springiness Cardi B immoderate other publicity up of her caller album, which is group to beryllium released Sept. 19.

“It seems to maine that she’s alert this is being filmed, and she’s utilizing it arsenic immoderate different media opportunity, which is an opportunity to really get group to get to cognize her and beryllium connected her side,” she said.

The proceedings is expected to proceed and reason adjacent week aft nan Labor Day holiday.