Snoop Dogg has found himself at the center of another controversy following his criticism of LGBTQ+ representation in kids’ films. The rapper brought up Pixar’s latest blockbuster Lightyear during an interview with Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving podcast last week, where he shared that he was “thrown for a loop” by the moment while watching the film with his grandson.

Lightyear is a spinoff of Pixar’s Toy Story franchise, which centers on a character that was introduced in the original film, Buzz Lightyear, and follows his backstory as a real space captain before he became the inspiration for the popular toy. At one point in the film, a character is revealed to be in a same-sex relationship with another woman, and the two share a kiss. Snoop said that his grandson became confused by the scene and turned to his grandfather for help in understanding 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.” The rapper later said that he told his grandson to just continue watching the film as there wasn’t much to discuss.

Snoop later admitted that he did not have an answer for the child and that he found the moment to be so off-putting that he didn’t want to see another movie out of fear that the same thing would happen again. “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 continued. “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.”

In an attempt to further explain how the moment had affected him, Snoop also said that he didn’t expect the same level of LGBTQ+ inclusion when he first went to watch the film, and found himself caught off guard when his grandson asked questions about the matter. “It threw me for a loop,” Snoop said. “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.”

Comment Draws Backlash from LGBTQ+ Communities

The comments from Snoop drew ire from progressives online and in Australia, where the rapper is set to perform at this year’s Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final. PinkNews reported that AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has no intention of removing Snoop from the event, even after his recent comments resurfaced.

In what was likely a nod to the ongoing debate over the rapper’s appearance, McLachlan said, “Snoop Dogg is on our line-up. The AFL Grand Final will be entertaining and inclusive of everyone. So we’re really not going to engage with that.”

The AFL is one of many professional sports leagues that have publicly supported anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people in recent years, so any indication that Snoop Dogg’s performance will be canceled hasn’t been made public as of yet. Snoop also has not made any public statement since last week’s podcast interview.

Lightyear Has Had a Lot of Controversy Over Its Inclusion

This isn’t the first time Lightyear has been the subject of debate, even before Snoop Dogg’s latest comments. When the film was released in June 2022, critics on the right pointed to the same-sex kiss and expressed their disapproval of its inclusion in a children’s film. The issue surrounding the character’s sexuality had grown to the point where Disney removed the scene entirely, but was forced to reverse course after receiving criticism from Pixar employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

Chris Evans, who voices the titular Buzz Lightyear in Lightyear, defended the company’s decision at the time during an interview with Reuters Television. “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said, referring to the haters on the right. “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 was a move by Pixar and Disney to branch out from the Toy Story world, focusing on Buzz Lightyear before he was a toy and delving into the backstory of the space-age science-fiction character who inspired him. Despite the heavyweight studio behind the production, the film was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing just over $226 million against its much higher expectations.