We love a straight dude standing up for his gay pal. Jack Harlow did just that at the BET Awards in Los Angeles yesterday.
As you may be aware, despite his record-breaking year in 2021, Lil Nas X received no nominations for this year’s BET Awards. The out entertainer was outraged and bemused by this, even dropping a track with NBA YoungBoy, ‘Late To Da Party’ on Friday, with the refrain ‘Fuck BET’ in it.
Lil Nas X has suggested the lack of nominations illustrates “the bigger problem of homophobia in the black community.”
Jack Harlow duetted with Lil Nas X on his number one track, ‘Industry Baby’ last year. Harlow did receive a nomination at the BETs. So he turned up on the red carpet yesterday wearing… a Lil Nas X T-shirt.
The gesture did not go unnoticed. Lil Nas X himself retweeted a photo, saying, “wow i really love this man.”
wow i really love this man https://t.co/ALv9wlVoXM
— obamas cousin (@LilNasX) June 26, 2022
I better NEVER see a Lil Nas X stan speaking bad on Jack Harlow. Regardless if you like his music or not, he’s been SO real to Montero. pic.twitter.com/Z8xsZ5Fe5H
— (@lilnasxmajor) June 26, 2022
Harlow was nominated in the category ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist’, which was won on the night by Kendrick Lamar.
Related: Lil Nas X took his family to a gay club and this is how it went down
Meanwhile, Rolling Stone yesterday ran a big feature on the deteriorating relationship between Lil Nas X and the BET Awards.
It says the ‘Old Town Road’-rapper’s issues with the award-giving organization pre-date his 2022 lack of nominations.
Even though Lil Nas X was invited to perform at last year’s event, and made headlines with a performance of ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ in which he ended up kissing one of his backing dancers, there were complications behind the scenes.
“My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think,” Lil Nas X told Rolling Stone. “They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a satanist or devil worshiper, and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience.”
A member of Lil Nas X’s team, who spoke anonymously to Rolling Stone, said, “At some point after [Nas] got offstage, one of the BET producers came up to me and before I could even open my mouth, he looked at me and said, ‘That was really fucked up.’”
A BET spokesperson dismissed Lil Nas X’s claims, telling Rolling Stone the “summation of events around Lil Nas X’s 2021 BET Awards performance is simply untrue.”
Related: Lil Nas X teams up with Grindr to promote “free c*ck” when you presave his new single
Here’s a reminder of Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow together in ‘Industry Baby’.
Donston
“We love a straight dude standing up for his gay pal”. Starting off the article with the most extreme of cringe.
Jack’s PR is on point. From the t-shirt to bringing Brandy on stage. His hustle is so good that he’s impossible to truly dislike. As far as Lil Nas X, his complete snubbing was no doubt a reflection of gay discomfort/panic. Even if you’re not a fan of his music there and even if you think his response to being snubbed was immature, him getting zero nods don’t add up. What’s especially disappointing is how willing Billy Porter was to be used as a token and diversion. I’m really getting over him.
Kangol2
Billy Porter seems desperate for approval, and his performance last night was essentially like Ball Culture light, but there also was nothing even vaguely homosex about it, which is probably why it was greenlighted. I agree with you about Lil Nas X’s snubbing; I think it’s clearly gay panic/backlash against his performance last year, which was electrifying, but that’s on BET. He’s a real talent, has legions of fans, and will continue to grow as an artist. If BET–the same channel featuring a show like Tyler Perry’s Ruthless–can’t see or get over it, it’ll be their loss.
Donston
Lil Nas X’s response to getting no BET nods showed just as much desperation for “black straight world” approval as Billy’s ballroom-lite performance. The desperation for that type of acceptance and willingness to “sellout” or reduce your integrity to get that type of acceptance is something that remains pervasive, even among a lot of out black people. BET completely overlooking LNX showed that same ol’ mentality of being cool with the “queers” so long as they’re not “too ‘gay” and males don’t overtly promote too much homoeroticism, homo-affections, homo-romanticism. While that ballroom performance was a shallow desire to display just how “open-minded” they are after the LNX snubbing.
Jim
The Black community has been historically homophobic.
Can some one teach them about inclusion and acceptance?
scotty
i suggest uncle clarence thomas.
Kangol2
The White community has historically been homophobic, since the colonial era in the US.
They have punished homosexuality and same-sexual relations for centuries.
The White British empire spread anti-gay laws all over the globe.
Can some one teach them about inclusion and acceptance?
wiggie
oh sweetie, your trolling skills are very much lacking. Work on it
Jack
I wish Lil Nas X would have left this one alone. It’s the irrelevant BET awards. Let BET stay in their little straight bubble with their pitiful 2.4M viewers. NAS you were nominated for a Grammy for Best Album last year. How many artists will ever achieve that? You don’t need adoration from BET. But good on you, Jack. We love him.
Kev
So LNX is upset he didn’t get nominated for an award from a network he doesn’t even like? His whole meltdown reeks of entitlement. Never understood the hype behind him – shining example of the efficacy of payola. Our country is collapsing, war is destroying others, women’s rights and health have been set back decades…oh, and Lil Nas X didn’t get a BET Award nod.
Terrycloth
There’s gay then there’s over the top sexual videos outrageous clothes and bizarre videos..the music is un important…attention getting. Keeping his name in the news.i find his music forgetful .I remember the videos or public appearances because he takes it to the extreme. .after a while it will get old ..like Miley Cyrus craziness…or
Billy Porters in a dress again..yeah. what’s new