"I don’t think he should get fired" — Cardi B defends teacher in viral video where he lets students unbraid his hair

Rapper Cardi B defended teacher Marquise White after a video of him allowing students to unbraid his hair went viral and sparked criticism. On Thursday, May 9, the rapper weighed in on the matter during an Instagram live session. The mother of two went on to say that the teacher should not be fired because he seemed to have a good relationship with the students.

"I don’t think he should get fired because, you know what, we’re lacking teachers right now," Cardi B said.

White, who teaches science, also confirmed that he had permission to film the children and that their parents knew about it too. However, he faced immense backlash shortly after the video was posted, with netizens claiming that professional boundaries must be maintained.

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Cardi B opposed the demand that White be fired

Recently, Marquise White posted a video of his female students unbraiding his hair on his Instagram account, @thilluminator. The video has since generated a range of reactions, with many calling for the teacher's dismissal for allegedly violating teacher-student boundaries.

Cardi B, who is a mother to two kids, expressed her views about the incident on a recent Instagram video that went viral.

"Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Teaching is a work of heart," the rapper said.

However, netizens did not take the incident lightly. Many users commented that they would never allow their daughters to participate in such an activity at school and called for White's dismissal.

In the live session, Cardi B said that while she wouldn't want her daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, to b a part of such activities, she did not support the notion that White should be fired. The 31-year-old musician added:

"Since I have a daughter, I wouldn’t want to see my daughter be around no men, period. Your perspective in everything, when it comes to girls, changes when you have an actual daughter."

She went on to say that while watching the viral video, it appeared that the teacher was liked by the girls and students in the class.

"When you like your teacher, it makes you want to pay attention more in class and it makes you want to do better in class. He probably has a good relationship with his students," the I Like It artist additionally said.

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Apart from Cardi B, many others extend their support to White

Following the barrage of mixed responses, White addressed all of the criticism he had received since the video went viral. He stated that it wasn't fair that he was getting mistreated just because of what other people might have done. White added that he was not "sick in the head."

"I actually love these kids as if they were my own. I would never do anything that would harm [them]. They are also respectful of boundaries," White wrote under his post.

White's response under the viral video, (Screenshot via @thilluminator/Instagram)

While many questioned the teacher's decision to film the incident without hiding the students' faces, he responded in the comment section by saying,

"My admin is well aware of my social media presence, my vids, as well as the relationships I have with my students."

The teacher also said that in a rare case where a student tried to cross the boundary, it would be his responsibility to correct them. White also called himself a man of "morals and ethics." Amid so much backlash, the science teacher received support not just from rapper Cardi B but also from another group of netizens.

A user who claimed to be the mother of one of the girls in White's classroom commented under the viral video and said,

"My child is one of his students. I'm 100% supportive of @thilluminator. Our girls need to learn healthy, non-s*xual relationships with men to better understand how they SHOULD be treated and addressed."

The user further addressed White in her comment and said that she was his "biggest supporter."

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Meanwhile, Cardi B has recently been subjected to criticism for forgetting the name of the designer who created her Met Gala outfit. The rapper reportedly described her design vaguely, calling her designer "Asian and everything."

On the musical front, Cardi B has released singles like Enough (Miami) this year. She revealed that new tracks are coming up while speaking during an X Spaces session, which was held on May 7.