Rapper Snoop Dogg made headlines last week when he denounced LGBTQ+ representation in children’s films, citing Pixar’s 2022 release Lightyear as a recent example of inclusion he found jarring.

On a recent episode of Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving podcast, the long-time hip-hop veteran shared the story of watching the animated feature with his grandson. During the film, Snoop Dogg said he was surprised by the presence of a same-sex couple and had to explain to the child why two women were in a relationship.

Lightyear is a spinoff of the Toy Story franchise, a long-running series of animated films that have been a household staple for multiple generations. The 2022 entry for the most part followed the sci-fi adventure formula fans have come to expect from Pixar, but its decision to introduce a character in a same-sex relationship soon became a flashpoint.

After initial pushback, Disney removed the six-second same-sex kiss scene, but after internal criticism and a campaign for inclusion, the moment was restored. For Snoop Dogg, he said the moment of truth arrived when his grandson asked him during the scene 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 on the podcast. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

Snoop Dogg said he had no idea how to explain the character and told the child to watch how the film would resolve the question, which he later shared with the audience. “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 added. “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 later apologized to the audience for using the homophobic slur but shared in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment that he was shocked by how a children’s film could feature such content. Snoop Dogg said what troubled him most was how children ask questions when they encounter such storylines, which can leave parents and grandparents unprepared to discuss such topics.

“It threw me for a loop,” he told the outlet. “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.”

Reactions on Social Media, Conservative Backlash

Progressive commentators quickly attacked Snoop Dogg on social media following his podcast comments, as the rapper is set to perform at the Australian Football League’s Grand Final event later this year. PinkNews reported that AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan dismissed calls to remove the rapper from the concert lineup and explained that discussions of removal were not on the table, though the AFL has not publicly suggested they would backtrack on their previous defense of Snoop Dogg’s appearance.

The rapper is not the first conservative personality to attack Lightyear for including a same-sex couple. When the film was released in June of last year, conservatives in the US criticized the scene as being out of place and targeted at children. Disney ended up removing the scene as the debate continued to spiral, but after a back-and-forth, including an internal Pixar backlash and comments from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, the company changed course and restored the moment.

Chris Evans, the actor who provides the voice for Buzz Lightyear, was outspoken on the topic during the time. During a Reuters Television interview, Evans did not hold back in his criticism of those opposed to the LGBTQ+ scene. “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said at the time. “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 about Buzz Lightyear himself, “the real” Buzz Lightyear. While Pixar’s Toy Story universe features Buzz Lightyear as a toy action figure, the Lightyear film delves into the backstory of the real space-age science-fiction hero the toy was based on within the imaginary world of the series. As one of Pixar’s most iconic characters, Lightyear had a major marketing push and seemed to be on a promising path for box office success, but reviews were mixed. Audiences have not flocked to theaters in the way the studio likely hoped, as the film has earned just over $226 million globally against a higher expectation.