Snoop Dogg has addressed the backlash to his recent comments about the same-sex representation in Pixar’s film, Lightyear.
During an interview on the podcast It’s Giving, the rapper criticised modern-day children’s films, claiming they’re including LGBTQIA+ characters everywhere.
Lightyear, released in 2022, featured an openly lesbian character in the form of Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba), the title character’s commanding officer and best friend.
Married to Kiko, the couple made history with Disney/Pixar’s first-ever same-sex kiss, which led to the film being banned in 14 countries.
“[My kids were] like, ‘She had a baby with another woman.’ My grandson, in the middle of the movie, is like, ‘Papa Snoop, how she have a baby with a woman? She’s a woman!’” said Dogg.
“[I thought], ‘Oh s**t, I didn’t come in for this s**t. I just came to watch the goddamn movie.’”
Dogg continued: “It f**ked me up. I’m like, scared to go to the movies. Y’all throwing me in the middle of s**t 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.”
Following widespread backlash to his comments, as well as confusion over his stance on LGBTQIA+ issues considering his two-episode arc in The L Word, Dogg broke his silence in the comments section of a Hollywood Unlocked Instagram post.
“I was just caught off guard and had no answer for my grandsons,” he said. “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.”
According to Deadline, a source close to Dogg claims that, despite the comment coming from his verified Instagram account, “it is a fake”.
Lauren Gunderson, Lightyear screenwriter, defended the film’s same-sex inclusion in a Threads post, which she started with: “So. I created the LIGHTYEAR lesbians.”
“In 2018, I was a writer at Pixar – such a cool place, grateful to work there, learned a ton from kind and impressive creatives,” Gunderson reflected.
“As we wrote early versions of what became LIGHTYEAR, a key character needed a partner, and it was so natural to write ‘she’ instead of ‘he.’ As small as that detail is in the film, I knew the representational effect it could have. Small line, big deal. I was elated that they kept it.
“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.”
Latest
