Cardi B left a Los Angeles courtroom momentarily speechless Tuesday (August 26) when her ever-changing hairstyles and extra-long nails became the unexpected focus of her civil assault trial testimony.
After arriving in court with a sleek black pixie wig on Monday, the rapper showed up Tuesday in a long blonde number, prompting confusion from the plaintiff’s attorney during cross-examination.
“On the date of the incident, did you have black hair, blonde hair, or different color hair?” the attorney asked.
Cardi said she didn’t remember, but confirmed she was wearing a hoodie.
The attorney pressed further, pointing out the contrast between her two court appearances.
“Yesterday you had black hair, short hair,” he said. “Today it’s blonde and long. Which one is your real hair? Or are they both real?”
Cardi let out a laugh before responding, “They’re wigs.”
“Okay. Sorry, I didn’t know that. It’s a good wig today then,” the attorney replied.
The questioning then shifted to Cardi’s fingernails, with the attorney asking her to show them to the court.
“How long are those fingernails?” he asked, before diving into a detailed inquiry about their shape and style. Cardi responded with a breakdown of her nail habits and maintenance routine.
The line of questioning appeared to suggest that Cardi’s acrylic nails may have played a role in the alleged 2018 altercation at a Beverly Hills OB-GYN office, where former security guard Emani Ellis claims she was physically attacked.
Ellis alleges Cardi B scratched her cheek with her nails, spat on her, used racial slurs, body-shamed her, jabbed a finger in her face and ordered another guard to restrain her. She says the incident left her with emotional distress, including PTSD, anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Cardi has denied all claims of physical violence, maintaining that Ellis was the aggressor and tried to film her without consent during a private medical visit.
On the stand, Cardi admitted to yelling at Ellis but stood firm that it was strictly a “verbal altercation.”
The trial continues this week in the Los Angeles Superior Court.