Justin Bieber cut the song off before Nicki's famous verse.
Justin Bieber Skips Nicki Minaj’s Verse at Coachella, ‘MAGA Minaj’ Jokes Flood Social Media
Justin Bieber made his return to the Coachella festival for the second weekend and took the stage for a 90-minute performance on April 17. Stepping onto the main stage, the performance embraced both nostalgia and revival, marking one of his major performances in 2026.
Momentum continued from the first weekend, with his songs recording higher streaming numbers. That influence was evident as the second weekend approached, with Beauty and a Beat—his 2012 song with Nicki Minaj—reached No. 1 on Spotify’s Daily Global chart for the first time, and maintained the lead for three straight days.
His other songs, like Baby, Eenie Meenie, and Confident, also showed considerable increases. But during all this, he raised eyebrows as he performed Beauty and a Beat, his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, without her at Coachella. He featured friends and collaborators such as SZA, Big Sean, Sexyy Red, and Billie Eilish, but rapper Nicki Minaj was absent, as reported by The Mirror US.
Justin Bieber performing on his hit songs at Coachella.
Did Justin snub Nicki Minaj at Coachella?
While performing, Bieber brought out his collaborator, Kid Laroi, to join him on stage, as they played their hit song, Stay, for the visibly ecstatic crowd. He also performed alongside Tems, Wizkid, and Dijon. Nonetheless, when it was time to perform Beauty and a Beat from Justin's Believe album, Nicki Minaj, who collaborated with him on the track, was absent from the stage.
Moreover, rather than completing the entire song, Justin stopped it right before Nicki Minaj's verse began. According to AOL.com, fans quickly pointed out that Nicki Minaj didn't appear during the performance. Taking to X, one user wrote, "Bring out maga minaj for beauty and a beat and it's gon' be real snowy in the desert."
Another user said, "IM CRYIN Justin really sat here and skipped Nicki’s entire verse on beauty and the beat oh maga Minaj". A third wrote, "Justin cutting off beauty & the beat before Nicki came in had me DEADDD. Period king."
Nicki accused of comparing her fanbase to Justin Bieber's
After Bieber's performance of their track went viral on social media and amassed over 200,000 new TikTok posts in three days, the Anaconda singer reacted. She said, "Barbz, my darlings, my babies—I know I don’t have to tell you guys this, but be sure to participate however you can."
Nicki Minaj been accused of comparing her fanbase to Justin Bieber, calling them Barbz.
Minaj also posted multiple reactions to the comeback of the song, while also sharing pictures of Chucky the Doll. The rapper often shares visuals of the horror icon. Citing a post stating, “coachella chose ‘beauty and a beat’ by justin bieber & nicki minaj as their theme song,” Minaj shared an AI image of herself as a doll beside Chucky, grinning playfully at a phone.
In the past, Nicki Minaj has also been accused of comparing her fanbase to Justin Bieber and taking credit for their hit sensation. She linked Justin's fanbase, the Beliebers, with her own, the Barbz. The rapper invited criticism after sharing this on her social media. On April 14, the rapper turned to X and wrote, "Beliebers and Barbz >>>>>>>>>>>>>".