Nicki Minaj Reacts to Regis Philbin ‘Bootygate’ Incident

Nicki Minaj received a "shocking" welcome from talk show host Regis Philbin earlier this week, when the Young Money phenom made an appearance on 'LIVE! With Regis and Kelly' on Monday.

Following Minaj's performance of her hit single 'Right Thru Me,' the Queens, NY, rapper/singer joined Regis and co-host Kelly Ripa to discuss her #2 charting album 'Pink Friday,' and was summarily pawed by the show's 79-year-old host.

"I love the way you dress," Regis began, giving Minaj an admiring look. "This looks like you've got a little strap around you there," he added, fingering the hem of her frock, then patting her rear end with his hand. "Regis! What just happened?" a surprised Kelly Ripa asked.

Despite Minaj's best attempts to play it cool -- during what is being dubbed as 'Bootygate' -- Regis' inappropriate behavior did not stop there. In response to her statement that Young Money boss Lil Wayne advises her to "go hard," Regis joked, "Go hard? I wish I could."

After the show, a fan of Minaj's tweeted, "What went thru your mind when Regis had slapped ya? That was epic!" Safe, in the midst of her adoring audience of online Barbies, Nicki tweeted back "LOL. I was in shock!"

'Pink Friday' dropped on Tuesday, Nov. 23, selling 375,000 copies in its first week. Get More News About Nicki Minaj on PopEater