Tom Holland fans explain ‘joke’ as Spider-Man actor trends following Nicki Minaj pregnancy announcement

It all started with a meme in April 2019

Many Twitter users have been left confused after Tom Holland started trending following Nicki Minaj‘s announcement that she is pregnant.

The rapper announced that she’s expecting her first child with husband Kenneth Petty, and soon after, the social media site was flooded with jokes about Holland being the father.

Many began jokily wishing the Spider-Man actor their “congratulations” over the news, prompting one user to ask: “What’s up with these Tom Holland and Nicki Minaj memes? Did I miss something?”

While some were left confused by the claims, others jumped in to explain that the joke stems from a meme created in April 2019 depicting a love triangle between Minaj, the Spider-Man actor and YouTube star James Charles.

“It’s been a joke for years,” one fan explained, adding: “No idea how it started but people started to make these edits about Tom Holland and Nicki being a thing.”

The original clip, which went viral, saw a Holland fan account post fake subtitles of the pair expressing their love for one another over real video clips.

Although the tweets in response to Minaj’s news were clearly a joke, some people actually believed them.

“I read a tweet earlier today that said that Tom Holland was the father of Nicki Minaj’s baby and honestly I believed it all day,” one person wrote.

Another added: “I searched it and that’s not true. Tom Holland isn’t a father, and he isn’t with Nicki Minaj. He is dating Nadia Park.”

Minaj has been married to Petty since 2019. She announced the news of her pregnancy via pictures of her baby bump on Instagram.

She wrote: “Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes.”