Snoop Dogg has responded to backlash over comments he made about LGBTQ+ representation in Pixar‘s Lightyear, following a story he shared on the It’s Giving…podcast about watching the film with his grandson.
Why It Matters
Lightyear, which was released in 2022, is a spinoff of the Toy Story franchise and was criticized by conservatives following its release. In the animated movie, a same-sex couple raises a child together, and at one point, share a kiss.
The rapper’s remarks sparked criticism for appearing dismissive of queer representation in children’s media. The incident highlights ongoing cultural tensions around LGBTQ+ visibility in family entertainment and the challenges some public figures face when navigating generational conversations about identity and inclusion.
What To Know
After the podcast aired, social media users accused Snoop of homophobia, prompting him to clarify his stance. In a recent Instagram comment on Hollywood Unlocked’s page, he wrote: “My bad. I was just caught off guard and had no answer for my grandsons,” he wrote. “All my gay friends [know] what’s up, they been calling me with love. My bad for not knowing the answers for a 6 yr old. Teach me how to learn. I’m not perfect.”
The film features a brief scene in which Alisha Hawthorne, a central character, shares a kiss with her wife and is later shown raising a child. The moment drew international backlash and led to bans in several countries like United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia but was retained in the final cut after internal pushback at Disney.
Lauren Gunderson, who contributed to early drafts of Lightyear, responded to the controversy by affirming her pride in the scene. “A key character needed a partner, and it was so natural to write ‘she’ instead of ‘he,’” she wrote.
What Did Snoop Dogg Say About Lightyear?
On the August 20 episode of It’s Giving…, Snoop recounted his grandson’s confusion about seeing the lesbian couple in the film. “Papa Snoop? How she have a baby with a woman? She a woman!”
Snoop then said: “I didn’t come here for this s****. I just came to watch the god**** movie. It’s like, I’m scared to go to the movies now. Y’all throwing me in the middle of s*** that I don’t have an answer for. It threw me for a loop. I’m like, ‘What part of the movie was this?’ These are kids. We have to show that at this age? They’re going to ask questions….I don’t have the answer.”
His comments prompted calls for the Australian Football League (AFL) to cancel his Grand Final performance, set for September 27. The rapper’s remarks sparked backlash from fans and public figures, including Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who labeled him a “slur merchant” and urged the AFL to support local talent instead.
The debate echoes earlier backlash surrounding Lightyear itself, when actor Chris Evans, who voiced Buzz Lightyear, defended the film’s inclusion of a same-sex couple. In a 2022 interview with Reuters, Evans dismissed critics as “idiots” and added that social progress is part of the human story. “Those people die off like dinosaurs,” he said, urging audiences to embrace growth and representation.
What People Are Saying
Lightyear screenwriter Lauren Gunderson’s response to Snoop’s critical comments: “I’m proud of it. To infinity. Love is love. I was one of a few writers they had on it over the years, which is very common for screenwriting of course. I had very little to do with the final script. But I was proud to see a happy queer couple (even for a few seconds) onscreen. I know they got a lot of shit for this inclusion, but stuff like this matters because beautiful love like this exists.”
Australia’s Shadow Immigration Minister Paul Scarr said about calls for Snoop Dogg’s performance to be canceled after the rapper’s initial remarks: “I think it’s a Grand Final—it should be about the football, it shouldn’t be about the entertainment. And I think, in the lead up to the Grand Final, when people are talking about the entertainment, that’s a concern.”
He later added: “I think you have to be consistent, and if you’re going to set certain standards, then people are going to raise questions just as you’re raising them, if you deviate those standards on a case-by-case basis.”
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