Grammy winner Lil Nas X stayed mostly calm, cool and pretty comedic as he informed fans from a hospital bed on Monday that he had “lost control” of half of his face.
The 26-year-old “Old Town Road” and “Industry Baby” singer shared a selfie video on Instagram documenting the stillness of the right side of his face as he attempts to smile. “This is me doing a full smile right now,” he says with a crooked smile and his right eye wider than his left.
“It’s like what the f—? I can’t even laugh right, bro,” he added, laughing at himself. “What the f—! Oh my God.”
Lil Nas X, whose birth name is Montero Lamar Hill, did not disclose an official diagnosis or what might have caused the paralysis but continued to speak about his condition over several Instagram stories. In one story, he reassured fans that he is doing well and requested that they “stop being sad for me!” The singer, who has endeared himself to fans with his cheeky sense of humor and his internet trolling, instead requested they “shake ur a— for me.” In the final post shared from his hospital bed, the singer told his millions of followers he will simply “look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”
The “Hotbox” artist continued to share updates early Tuesday morning via additional stories where he jokingly accused his cat of mocking his appearance and told fans he feels his face is “already getting better.” In his most recent updates, Lil Nas X can be seen enjoying a rollerskating session in the sun.
“It’s getting better y’all, I promise,” he said his latest video. “It’s gonna take a lot more than that to keep a bad b— down. This eye wonky, b— but I’m not.”
A representative for Lil Nas X did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for additional information and comment Tuesday.
Prior to his hospitalization, Lil Nas X got candid earlier this month about being an openly gay musician amid the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and executive orders of the Trump administration. The musician, who broke out in 2019 for “Old Town Road,” reflected on his controversial, Bible-inspired “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video in 2021 and the backlash that came with it. In the video, the rapper notoriously pole dances from celestial heights to the depths of hell, where he gives Satan a lap dance before snapping his neck and becoming the lord of the underworld.
“Even right now, everything with the young males being taught these super conservative ways, at least in America: everything is shifting with this rebellious, hyper-masculine thing,” he told Paper.
Later in the interview, the singer said he felt conservatives would “actually try to kill me” if he had released “Montero” in the current social and political climate instead of in 2021. Still, he told the magazine he is optimistic that “things are going to be fine.”
“I’m not trying to minimize what’s happening. I just think s— is going to work itself out, especially in the generation where everything is a trend,” he added. “The second the next thing comes along, it will be like, ‘Hey, we don’t hate women and gay people anymore. Let’s do something else now.’”
Amid his hospitalization Lil Nas X received support from fellow artists in the comments of his Instagram post. Comedian Loni Love, “Pose” stars Ryan Jamaal Swain and Dominique Jackson and playwright Jeremy O. Harris were among the celebrities sending the singer well wishes.
