Rapper Snoop Dogg has stirred up new controversy by ranting about LGBTQ+ representation in children’s films, with one 2022 Pixar movie drawing particular ire. The hip-hop icon shared the story on Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving podcast last week, explaining how he was with his grandson when he watched Lightyear but had to “wake up” to explain the inclusion of a same-sex couple.

Lightyear is a spinoff of Toy Story that was released in June of last year. It centers around Buzz Lightyear, the space-age science-fiction explorer who, within the Toy Story universe, inspired the toy brand. The film was a fairly low-key entry for Pixar, with negative reviews and middling box office in comparison to earlier work in the Toy Story franchise. But when the film first hit theaters, conservative media and LGBTQ+ critics took issue with the inclusion of a lesbian couple, including a brief kiss between the characters. The content was eventually removed due to backlash, only to be reinstated following a larger outcry and allegations that Disney had caved to conservative media.

Snoop Dogg Was Left ‘Scared to Go to the Movies’

Appearing on It’s Giving, Snoop Dogg recalled bringing his grandson to the theater and struggling to explain the content of the movie to his grandson, who asked questions during the scene. “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 explained. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

Snoop admitted that he didn’t have an answer for the boy, so he told him to “keep watching.” “They just said, and she had a baby,” the rapper continued. “They are both women. How does she have a baby? S—. The movie ain’t over with. 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.”

He explained that it was this moment of feeling unprepared to explain the depiction of a same-sex relationship to a child that really bothered him. “It threw me for a loop. 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,” Snoop said.

Reaction and the Larger Question of LGBTQ+ Moments

Fans on the left bristled at the comments online and even in the AFL arena ahead of Snoop Dogg’s scheduled performance at the Grand Final later this year. Australian publication PinkNews reported that AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan doubled down on the organization’s decision to feature Snoop as a performer after the backlash.

The AFL has made public efforts in recent years to support LGBTQ+ and inclusion initiatives in the sport, but it has not publicly commented on whether Snoop Dogg will be removed from the performance lineup.

Lightyear has been in the headlines several times over the last year as one of the most notable films to feature an LGBTQ+ moment. When the film first opened, conservative critics of the genre picked up on the inclusion of the couple and even a same-sex kiss.

Snoop Dogg’s Criticism of LGBTQ+ Relationships in Pixar Film Lightyear Was Followed by Apologies from Anti-LBGTQ+ Critics of the Film

Disney initially agreed to remove the content, but criticism and accusations from Pixar employees and LGBTQ+ groups that the company had bowed to conservative critics and pressure forced Disney to reverse the decision.

Chris Evans, who provides the voice for the Buzz Lightyear character, weighed in when the controversy was happening last year. “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans told Reuters Television of the anti-LBGTQ+ comments. “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.”

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Lightyear grossed just over $226 million at the global box office and underperformed against expectations despite heavy marketing and a connection to one of Pixar’s most successful franchises.

At the time of publication, Snoop Dogg had not directly addressed the latest controversy and the criticism from LGBTQ+ critics. But the rapper shows no signs of backing down before the AFL performance, which will be broadcast internationally to a wide audience in Australia.