Cardi B has launched a blistering counter-attack against a viral social media smear that falsely alleged her father was a convicted sex offender, labelling the claims 'disgusting.'
The global rap sensation Cardi B is the primary figure defending her father, Carlos Almánzar, against the malicious allegations.
The controversy stems from a viral post by X, which shared a purported screenshot from Grok, the AI assistant developed by Elon Musk's xAI.
The 'Grok' screenshot claimed that Carlos Almánzar was convicted of attempted rape in 1993 in Nassau County and served five years in prison, urging users to 'check the court docs' because 'public record doesn't lie,' which Cardi B categorically denied, stating that her father is a Dominican immigrant who has 'never been arrested in this country' and would have faced immediate deportation for such a serious felony.
The drama unfolded on Sunday, January 4, 2026, with the rapper issuing her definitive response on Monday, January 5, 2026. The incident in which the fabricated 'evidence' quickly gained millions of views before being debunked as a doctoring of the actual responses.
Grok itself had explicitly denied making the claim. In a real-time fact-check shared by other users, the AI clarified: 'I never claimed Cardi B's father is a sex offender that screenshot is fabricated.'
Despite the debunking, Cardi B took to her platform to warn trolls that she is ready to pursue legal action, stating, 'Now when I start suing people, then what?'
She condemned the 'deranged' nature of those who weaponise rape allegations for 'fan wars,' marking yet another instance of a high-profile figure having to manually combat AI-driven disinformation.
The Perils of AI Hallucinations and Fabricated Receipts
First thing first, my dad never been arrested in this county.. my dad is a immigrant from the Dominican Republic.. he would be deported if he committed such a disgusting crime!! I don’t know why yall like playing these games just for you to be fake mad when I post who got those… https://t.co/bbLuWFld99
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) January 5, 2026
The incident highlights a growing crisis in 2026: the weaponisation of AI 'hallucinations' or fabricated screenshots to settle celebrity scores.
While Grok has been criticised for its 'unfiltered' and occasionally erratic output, in this instance, it appears to have been used as a 'puppet'. By creating a fake interface that appeared to be an official Grok response, the perpetrators were able to lend a veneer of 'technical authority' to a decade-old rumour that had been debunked in 2023.
Cardi B's frustration stems from the 'real-world stakes' of these digital lies. She pointed out that for immigrants like her father, a criminal record of that magnitude is a legal impossibility within the United States.
'Stop playing with me and my family,' she wrote, echoing her 2022 legal victory against blogger Tasha K, where she was awarded $4 million for similar defamatory claims.
The rapper's willingness to litigate suggests that the individuals behind the 'Grok smear' may soon face more than just an angry tweet.
A Legacy of 'Twin-Flame' Defences
This is not the first time the Bronx-born star has had to act as her family's primary defender. She publicly reiterated that her father has 'never been to jail a day in his life' following similar resurfaced rumours.
The repeated targeting of her father, a man who has largely remained out of the public eye, indicates a shift in troll tactics toward 'innocent' family members to elicit a reaction from the star.
The entertainment landscape becomes increasingly saturated with deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation.
Cardi B's 'scorched earth' policy serves as a blueprint for other celebrities. By addressing the lie immediately and providing logical immigration-based evidence, she effectively neutralised the narrative before it could impact her father's reputation in their local community.
The Accountability Gap on X
The controversy also reignites the debate over content moderation on Elon Musk's X.
Critics argue that allowing accounts, some of which describe themselves as 'not credible' or 'parody' in their bios, to spread sensitive criminal allegations under the guise of AI findings is a dangerous precedent. While Grok eventually corrected the record, the 'screenshot' lived on as a standalone image, stripped of its original context.
For Cardi B, the battle is now about accountability. 'I seen yall trying to spread that shit all day yesterday,' she noted, referencing the coordinated effort by rival fanbases to amplify the post.
She further addressed the situation, vowing to expose 'real mugshots' of those actually involved in crimes if the attacks on her family did not cease. As the rapper prepares her legal team for a potential new round of defamation suits, the message is clear: the age of 'playing games' with her family's legal history is officially over.
