The 2021 BET Awards ceremony took place over the weekend. Megan thee Stallion, Migos & Cardi B, who revealed her pregnancy, and Lil Nas X all hit the stage. Lil Nas performed his hit single "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)," which sparked controversy at the time of its release for its Satanic-filled visuals and its depiction of same-sex relationships.
His BET rendition of the track stayed true to its already-establish aesthetic, with Lil Nas even planting a kiss on one of his male backup dancers during the performance. Reception for the performance was polarized, and the "Old Town Road" hitmaker took to social media to shut critics up one more time.
"we are 4 months in and people are still acting surprised that i am being gay and sexual in performances of a song about gay and sexual shit," tweeted the Grammy winner on Monday (June 28), a day removed from his performance.
He continued in another tweet, "like the song is literally about gay sex what y’all want me to do play the piano while baking a cake?" Another critic responded to the tweets suggesting Lil Nas was insecure about his sexuality and was simply overcompensating for it "every chance you get."
In response, the 22-year-old artist explained, "You’re right i am insecure about my sexuality. i still have a long way to go. i’ve never denied that. when you’re conditioned by society to hate yourself your entire life it takes a lot of unlearning. which is exactly why i do what i do."
Another challenged Lil Nas should consider the fact that children are watching the award show and homophobically suggested he should "chill that gay sh*t out."
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"that’s not my problem, stop letting ur kids watch the bet awards n*gga put on cocomelon," responded the hitmaker sarcastically. All in all, Lil Nas certainly had time today to respond to his noisiest critics.
Diddy also sent out warm words of support to Lil Nas X on social media following his performance, penning, "Lil Nas X did that!! Be fearless!!!"
