Although Wendy Williams is a fan of Cardi B, she must stay true to her opinion when it comes to the Hot Topics segment on her show. And, while she is also a fan of the “Press” rapper’s style, she thinks it’s a bit too much for appearing in court. “As a woman I do have to say, Cardi, it’s like wearing a fur coat to the welfare office, and a splash of diamonds. There’s some things that you kind of just don’t do,” Wendy explained on her Tuesday show. The daytime host, 54, discussed a recent interview with Joe Tacopino, the lawyer of the alleged victims in Cardi’s current assault case about a strip club brawl in 2018. Tacopino said that Cardi, 26, appears to only be concerned about her court outfits.
“There’s 2 things you fear in my opinion — death and court,” Wendy continued. “I love Cardi, don’t take this the wrong way, but this is [a message] for everybody going to court: You have to have a certain amount of humble respect for why you’re there,” she said. “This is a very wealthy woman, and she’s got very lovely breasts, but there’s a time and a place to show them, but I wouldn’t wear this to court… You don’t carry a multi-thousand dollar bag… She’s too couture for court and the Birkin bag, you don’t carry that to court. Cardi don’t hate me, I’m just talking my truth, I do it everyday.” Wendy added: “Sometimes men don’t need to say anything about how a woman can dress herself, like shut up!”
Tacopina let his opinions about Cardi’s court attire fly during an interview with the New York Post, published on July 13. “Cardi treats her trips to the courthouse like a runway show,” he told the outlet. “Here’s a woman who got indicted by a grand jury with felony charges, and appears to only be concerned about what she’s wearing,” the celebrity defense attorney said. “There’s going to be a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment with her, because it’s not consistent with someone who’s taking this seriously.”
Cardi B leaving court in a plunging pink pantsuit in New York, NY on May 31, 2019. (Photo credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock)
Cardi, who has not addressed her court case, couldn’t let the lawyer’s comments go unnoticed. After celebrating her daughter, Kulture‘s first birthday on July 14, she responded to the interview in a series of since-deleted Instagram videos.
“I don’t talk about my case, but this really upset me because this lawyer gonna go to the press… and talk about the way I dress when I go to court,” Cardi said in one clip, while wearing a towel on her head. “I don’t dress inappropriate when I go to court. I dress like a young f–king lady. Where am I supposed to get my suits from, H&M? Why are you worried about the way I dress?”
Cardi explained how she’s previously appeared in court without makeup on or brushing her hair. “That just goes to show you that y’all do this shit for press. I went to court six times already for a f–king misdemeanor,” she proclaimed. “There was one time I went to court with no makeup on. Just motherf–king ChapStick.”
She continued: “You’re bothered by the way I dress. I cannot control that there’s 100 cameras outside every time I go to court… Ya’ll be using my name for press… If I was a man it would not bother you,” Cardi said before she spoke about prison reform and her contributions to the cause.
Cardi mentioned how Tacopina represents Meek Mill in his ongoing fight for criminal justice reform, and noted how he’d taken a step down by worrying about what she’s wearing. “You are a lawyer that represents an artist that’s standing up for prison reform, something that I have donated money to… and [you’re] worried about what a woman is putting on her body when she goes to fu–king court?”, Cardi said, adding, “Get the f–k out of here.” The rapper is facing two felony counts and a slew of lesser charges following an indictment by a grand jury in June.