Lil Nas X: father says "mental breakdown" led to arrest
Our queer fave has been charged with four felonies.
Arrested in Los Angeles in the early hours of 21 August, Lil Nas X faces four felony charges to which he has entered a plea of not guilty.
After spending three days in detention, Lil Nas appeared in court on 25 August to enter his plea. His bail was set at USD$75K.
LA police have charged Lil Nas with three felony counts of battery with injury to a police officer and one felony count of resisting arrest.
Officers reportedly found the 26-year-old rapper and singer walking along Ventura Boulevard in the Studio City neighbourhood shortly before 6 AM. Lil Nas was reportedly wearing only underwear and cowboy boots and said that he was going to a party.
The police initially took Lil Nas to hospital because they suspected a drug overdose. He was subsequently released from hospital and taken into custody.
“I went to visit him in jail, and as soon as I walked through that door, I couldn’t do anything but cry...” said Robert Stafford - the father of Lil Nas - speaking to reporters. “To see my baby boy on the other side of that glass. We shed tears with each other for a minute. I had to tell him that ‘what you’re going through is normal. We all have breakdowns every now and then, but the difference is, yours get played out in the public eye.'”
“For a 26-year-old to have to deal with what he’s dealing with — to be a breadwinner for a lot of people, the inability to change his mother’s situation, and the pressure he puts on himself - that can weigh heavily on your heart...” added Stafford. "When I went to visit, he asked me to say, ‘Tell everybody I’m sorry they saw me like that.' Even in that moment, he was apologising to people for something he was going through.”
It's been reported that Lil Nas's mother has struggled with mental health and addiction issues.
In interviews, Stafford has said that he hopes the incident marks a turning point in Lil Nas's "mental stability" and asserted that drugs were not a factor in the incident.
Lil Nas is scheduled to appear in court to face the charges on 15 September.
His album, Dreamboy, is scheduled to be released later this year.
The coming out story
At the peak of his Old Town Road fame, Lil Nas X came out in one of the most nonchalant ways possible.
“Deadass thought I made it obvious…” he Tweeted, along with an image of the song’s artwork – a rainbow-coloured skyscraper.
“It was something I was considering just never doing ever, just taking to the grave or something, but I don’t want to live my entire life not doing what I want to do…” explained Lil Nas X, subsequently explaining in media interviews why he decided to publicly discuss his sexuality as a gay man. “I’m also opening doors for more people.”
Since talking publicly about his sexuality, Lil Nas has been setting the standard for gay celebrities - leaning into the faggotry at every opportunity. We love to see it.
