Nicki Minaj has cancelled her headline appearance at the BET Experience festival, while the network has apologised for a tweet mocking the star during the Grammy Awards.
The star was offended by a misjudged - and since deleted - tweet posted by US entertainment channel BET during the Grammy Awards on Sunday night which said she was "being dragged by her lacefront" after her rival Cardi B won the prize for best rap album.
Tweeting after the wig-based quip, Nicki said: "Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show. Summer Tour dates dropping soon"
Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show. ♥️🙏🏽♥️ Summer Tour dates dropping soon 🦄
— QUEEN (@NICKIMINAJ) February 11, 2019
Now, the company has issued an apology and insisted the post "should never have been written".
In a statement, BET Networks said it has supported Nicki "from the very beginning and added: "Unfortunately, the respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written.
"The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values.
"We deeply apologise for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation."
BET added it is "conducting an internal audit" over the incident, and said it has apologised privately to both the rapper and her team, while the post has been deleted.
The network added: "We understand Nicki's position and look forward to continuing our dialogue with her.
"Finally, we apologise to all her fans. This should have never happened."
Before the apology, Nicki shared a lot of messages from fans slamming BET for its joke, and even encouraged one follower to ask for a refund for the festival in June.
She added: "I can't thank you guys enough for all the love & support you continue to show me. To everyone who said something sweet, thank you.
"Whether I read it or not, I felt it. From the bottom of my heart. I love you so much. So so so soooo much. Stay tuned (sic)"
An apology to @NickiMinaj, her fans and all our readers: https://t.co/VVzuQybtbH pic.twitter.com/AUAEUfCSZh
— BET (@BET) February 12, 2019