Lil Nas X is revealing more about what led him to kiss one of his male backup dancers during his 2021 BET Awards performance.
Speaking with the OHP Uncut podcast, the 22-year-old Grammy winner, who is openly gay, discussed the controversial end to his BET performance of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and revealed it was not a spur-of-the-moment call.
“I feel like it’s what needed to be done,” remarked Lil Nas X. “Because it’s easy to just hug a guy, but I feel like if you kiss the guy, you get straight to the point. I really sugarcoat the performance, and it gets the job done.”
The rapper said the inspiration for the kiss struck in May when he guested on Saturday Night Live, where he also performed his number-one hit. Lil Nas X revealed the dancer he kissed at the BET Awards was the one who licked his neck during his SNL performance.
The “Old Town Road” singer said he broached the idea to the dancer, recalling, “I was like, ‘Hey, what if we kissed in this one?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, sure.'”
Despite the public backlash, Lil Nas X said he cared more about his family’s reaction to the kiss, and revealed they were super supportive.
“My family had no idea it was about to happen, but they loved it,” he grinned. “I think one of my sisters, I forgot exactly what she said… She was like, ‘Wow, you absolutely murdered that.’ She was like, ‘The best performance of the night, not just saying that.'”
According to TMZ, only three FCC complaints were filed about the kiss — compared to Jennifer Lopez and Shakira‘s 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, which received over 1,000 complaints.
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