Rapper Snoop Dogg has stoked new controversy by making negative comments about LGBTQ+ content in children’s films. During a recent interview, Snoop cited Pixar’s new movie Lightyear as a film in which he was confronted by the “gay” storylines.

In an interview on Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving podcast last week, Snoop Dogg shared an anecdote about taking his grandson to see Lightyear in theaters. According to the rapper, the animated film threw him for a loop when his grandson asked him a question that Snoop did not immediately know how to answer.

Commenting on the particular scene, Snoop admitted he was “thrown off” when his grandson inquired about how two women could have a baby together. “Why, my grandson, in the middle of the movie, like, ‘Papa Snoop, how does she have a baby with a woman? She is a woman,” the rapper said. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

The animated blockbuster is a spinoff of the Toy Story series and made headlines when the central Buzz Lightyear character was featured in a same-sex relationship. After conservatives objected to the same-sex kiss between the hero and a supporting character, Disney initially removed the three-second scene. However, the studio reversed the decision after internal pushback and external demands for increased LGBTQ+ representation.

Snoop Dogg said he had no immediate response for his grandson and encouraged him to watch further. “They just said she had a baby. They are both women. How does she have a baby? S—. The movie ain’t over with,” he continued. “I’m scared to go to the movies. Like y’all throwing me in the middle of s— that I don’t have an answer for.”

The rapper, whose name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., suggested he has no problem with same-sex relationships but lamented that the conversation had been thrust upon him while at the movies. “It threw me for a loop. These are kids that we have to show that at this age, like, they’re going to ask questions. They are going to ask. I don’t have an answer. And I was just there to go to sleep and watch the movie. That s— woke me up,” he said.

Backlash and Further Debate on Representation

Snoop Dogg’s comments sparked outrage among progressive audiences, with many pushing for the cancellation of the rapper’s performance at the Australian Football League’s Grand Final later this year. PinkNews reported that AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan was forced to defend the performance deal despite backlash online.

The AFL has run several high-profile inclusion and diversity campaigns over the years, including for the 2023 season. However, despite online outrage, AFL representatives have not suggested Snoop Dogg’s performance would be canceled as a result of the homophobic comments.

Lightyear was previously embroiled in a controversy of its own, even before the backlash from Snoop Dogg. When the film was released in June 2022, conservatives decried the same-sex kiss in a film marketed for children. The controversy became so large that Disney reportedly removed the three-second scene. The decision was reversed following protests from Pixar employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

Chris Evans, the actor who voices Buzz Lightyear in the movie, was asked about the controversy during a Reuters Television interview. “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said of those who were protesting LGBTQ+ representation. “There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward, and embrace the growth that makes us human.”

Lightyear is designed to be a prequel to the Toy Story films. The new movie centers on the “real” Buzz Lightyear — the name and appearance of the space-age science-fiction character. In the Toy Story universe, Buzz’s popularity as a real-life hero and action figure inspired the toys’ astronaut adventurer.

The film earned a mixed reception from critics and underperformed at the box office, with just over $226 million worldwide on a high production budget. With such a name and connection to the Toy Story franchise, expectations were higher for the Disney and Pixar movie.