After becoming known for voicing support for progressive causes like gun control, the election of Democratic presidential candidates and the right of same-sex couples to live “as they please,” Snoop Dogg is facing backlash and possible ejection from his coaching gig on “The Voice,” following his homophobic rant against a same-sex couple depicted in Disney and Pixar’s 2022 animated feature, “Lightyear.”
While recently appearing on the “It’s Giving” podcast, the rapper, producer and entrepreneur said he’s “scared to go to the movies” due to what he perceives to be an increase in LGBTQ+ representation in children’s films, including those made by Disney and Pixar, Entertainment Weekly reported.
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“What you see is what you see, and they’re putting it everywhere,” Snoop lamented. He described taking his grandson to see “Lightyear,” a “Toy Story” spinoff, and was shocked to discover that the film features a montage showing two mothers raising their child.
“They’re like, ‘She had a baby — with another woman,’” Snoop said. “Well, my grandson, in the middle of the movie is like, ‘Papa Snoop? How she have a baby with a woman? She’s a woman!’”
The 53-year-old hip-hop pioneer said he recalled thinking, “‘Oh (expletive), I didn’t come in for this (expletive). I just came to watch the goddamn movie.’”
Snoop’s comments don’t seem to align with views he expressed 12 years ago. Snoop “wasn’t afraid to tackle” the topic of same-sex marriage — and to defend couples in such unions, according to a 2013 interview with the Huffington Post. Snoop was addressing the topic in relation to Proposition 8, a controversial California amendment that banned gay marriage in the usually progressive state. That year, the U.S. Supreme Court was deliberating whether to rule the proposition unconstitutional.
Snoop expressed support for Prop. 8 being ruled unconstitutional, so that same-sex marriages could resume in California.
“People can do what they want and as they please,” the rapper said. “Satisfy yourself accordingly. I have no issues with nobody, I live for me and I live my life doing what I do, so you should have the right to do whatever you want to do.”
According to a 2013 BET report, these views seemed to show that Snoop had evolved in his thinking since the early 1990s when, among other things, he was featured on Dr. Dre’s debut album, “The Chronic.” That album was criticized for its use of homophobic slurs to attack rivals. “Looks like Snoop really is a changed man,” BET said. “With any luck, maybe he can spread some of that one love spirit to his fellow reggae and rap artists.”
But maybe Snoop never really changed on this issue, as revealed by his comments on “Lightyear.” On TMZ Live Monday, actress and advocate Ts Madison said that the rapper’s negative reaction to a same-sex kiss in “Lightyear” reflects “a bit of homophobia” and pointed to the larger issue of how queer families are treated in mainstream culture, according to Gayety.com.
“As a parent, you should explain to your children that other things exist in the world outside of what you deem ‘normal’ in your own home,” Madison said.
But TMZ Live co-host Harvey Levin, who is gay, pushed back some against Madison’s point, suggesting that parents may simply want to wait until their kids are older before discussing LGBTQ relationships. “That doesn’t make them homophobic,” Levin said.
Bu as Madison suggested, not presenting LGBTQ people as part of the fabric of society, or “choosing silence” when kids ask questions, only reinforces the idea that LGBTQ lives are something to avoid discussing or to “push to the side.”
It appears that officials at NBC, which produces “The Voice,” also found Snoop’s comments problematic, The Sun reported. Snoop appeared as a coach for the reality TV singing competition series in 2024, and was set to return for Season 28, which airs this fall. But “The Voice” aims to be an “apolitical” and “inclusive” show, according to a production insider.
“This is the exact kind of conversation (the execs at NBC) didn’t want to be sucked into,” the source told The Sun. Producers have reminded him that his comments could create a divisive environment on the set. “The show does not condone the comments whatsoever. This is the opposite of the kind of spotlight they want on the show just ahead of the new season,” the source said.
Such comments are “exactly why Snoop is already on the outs with the show,” the source concluded.
To critics of Snoop, his comments could also reflect another political evolution for the rapper, which appears to include an embrace of President Donald Trump. Snoop publicly endorsed both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and he supported Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden when they ran against Trump in 2016 and 2020, respectively. In 2017, he even blasted Black entertainers who perform for Trump’s campaign events “Uncle Tom” and other derogatory terms
But by early 2024, Snoop told the Times UK that he has “nothing but love and respectful Donald Trump.” A year later, he showed that love by performing for an event related to Trump’s second inauguration, Vibe reported. For performing at the Crypto Ball, Snoop also faced backlash in the form of losing more than 570,000 followers on Instagram The backlash for the Crypto Ball show seems to be a preview of what he’s dealing with now, or brought on himself.