American rapper Snoop Dogg is at the center of the latest online controversy, after spouting a homophobic rant on a podcast last week. During an interview on Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving, the veteran West Coast rapper called out children’s media for what he perceives as an overemphasis on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Citing Pixar’s animated space adventure Lightyear, which Snoop took his grandson to see in theaters, the rapper claims he was unable to answer a simple question posed by his grandson during the screening.

In the film, one of the minor characters, a pilot named Alisha Hawthorne, is identified as being in a same-sex relationship. During the movie, she shares a brief kiss with another female character, who is also a pilot. The kiss was initially cut from the final film after Disney received feedback from conservative audiences, but the scene was later restored after internal criticism from LGBTQ+ Pixar employees and advocacy groups.

Snoop Dogg’s objection to the character and the subsequent kiss in Lightyear is because of a question his grandson asked during the screening, he told Fontenot during the interview. “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,” he said. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

The rapper says that he was “lost” and could not immediately come up with an answer to tell his grandson. “They just said she had a baby,” he said. “They are both women. How does she have a baby? S—. The movie ain’t over with. 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.”

Snoop Dogg on Being ‘Thrown’ Into a Conversation About Parenting with Grandson

Snoop Dogg explained to podcast host Fontenot that what disturbed him most was the fact that his grandson was able to ask him a question about the same-sex couple at that age. “The thing that throws me off is these are children that we’re talking about,” the rapper said. “These are the kids that we have to bring in this position to show at this age, like, they’re going to ask questions. They are going to ask. I don’t have an answer. I was just there to go to sleep and watch the movie. That s— woke me up.”

The rapper’s comments did not go unnoticed, as some online have decried what they have called an attack on LGBTQ+ representation in movies. Snoop Dogg is set to perform at the Australian Football League’s Grand Final in September, with some angry fans demanding the rapper be removed from the lineup. PinkNews reported, however, that Gillon McLachlan, the league’s chief executive, has confirmed that Snoop Dogg will still perform at the event as planned, even with his podcast comments. The AFL has a strong diversity and inclusion record and has run campaigns in the past to promote similar efforts.

Conservatives previously called out Lightyear for the inclusion of the same-sex kiss in the film when it first premiered in June 2022. While the kiss was eventually restored in response to pushback from Pixar employees, it’s not clear whether Snoop Dogg will see a change of heart following the controversy around his comments. However, the rapper, who is not one to shy away from controversy, does not appear to be backing down or even hinting at a retraction for now.

The film itself was an attempt at broadening the Toy Story franchise. Set in the Toy Story universe, Lightyear follows the titular character, who, within the fictional world of the Toy Story franchise, is the “real” Buzz Lightyear — the space-age sci-fi hero who inspired the character. Directed by Angus MacLane and produced by Galyn Susman and Kori Rae, the film had been given a huge budget for production and marketing to drive box-office sales.

Despite all the hype and being part of Pixar’s most successful and most recognizable franchises, Lightyear was met with average reviews from critics and was a box office flop, grossing a little over $226 million against an initial projection of over $500 million.