It’s been a big week for rapper Snoop Dogg as he once again stirred up a major controversy over a new comment he made regarding LGBTQ+ representation in children’s media. On an episode of Sarah Fontenot’s It’s Giving podcast that aired last week, Snoop shared how he recently brought his grandson to see Pixar’s Lightyear, a direct spinoff of their Toy Story franchise, and found himself at a loss to explain same-sex relationships after his young grandson began to ask questions about the characters in the film.

Lightyear made waves in June 2022 when the film, which exists as both a part of the universe of the Toy Story movies and the solo origin story of “real” Buzz Lightyear, was released with a scene in which two women kiss. Conservatives immediately made clear their objections to the moment being in the film, and Disney temporarily reversed course by editing it out of the film, only to change course after internal pressure from Pixar and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. In the end, the company restored the scene with no apology or recantation for anyone who may have felt targeted by it.

Snoop explained in his latest podcast episode how he was just at the movie to catch a few Zs until it was over, but found himself confused when his grandson interrupted his nap in the theater by asking, “How does she have a baby with a woman?” he asked. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

The rapper further revealed that he had no answer for his grandson at the time, so he told the child to just wait and see and continued with the film. “They just said, and she had a baby,” Snoop shared. “They are both women. How does she have a baby? 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.”

When it comes to the problem of having children bring up taboo or difficult-to-explain content in the family-friendly movies they watch, Snoop believes that “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,” he explained. “I don’t have an answer. And I was just there to go to sleep and watch the movie. That s— woke me up.”

The Backlash to His Comments and History with Lightyear

Social media users almost immediately fired back at Snoop Dogg after his comments, largely because the rapper is set to perform at the Australian Football League’s (AFL) Grand Final later this year. PinkNews reported that Gillon McLachlan, the AFL’s CEO, noted that Snoop will not be removed from the scheduled list of entertainers to appear during the event despite the backlash to his latest comments. There’s been no sign from AFL leaders as to whether or not they will now disinvite Snoop Dogg, who was originally chosen for the event because the sport’s league prides itself on inclusion and diversity.

Lightyear has been under a microscope since the film was released in June of last year. Aside from Snoop Dogg’s comments, the original wave of conservative blowback to the same-sex kiss between two women in the film was particularly fierce, as many on the right of American politics were particularly upset that a children’s movie would feature such content.

The backlash was so great that Disney first removed the scene from the film before turning back and restoring it. Disney’s about-face came about because of Pixar employees who were reportedly upset over the removal of the film. This outcry and a push for LGBTQ+ advocacy groups brought back the scene with no apology.

Chris Evans, who provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the film, doubled down on the decision to have the moment in the movie. In an interview with Reuters Television around the time of the movie’s release, Evans said, “The real truth is those people are idiots. 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 unique effort by Pixar, which exists as both a part of the larger Disney family of entertainment companies and as its own independent powerhouse of movies for all ages. The new film sought to build on the popular Toy Story franchise, but not from the perspective of the toys or the humans who played with them, but with the “real” Buzz Lightyear as he existed in the greater fictional universe of the Toy Story world. Buzz Lightyear is a space-age, sci-fi, and superhero-type character within the world of the movies, and a common conceit of the Toy Story series is that the toys are inspired by the hero he represents.

Lightyear received generally poor reviews and underperformed at the box office. The film has taken in just over $226 million at the global box office. The movie was expected to generate a much higher figure from both audiences and merchandise sales, so Lightyear’s connection to some of Pixar’s most popular entertainment in the Toy Story films was not enough to keep this film successful.