American rapper Snoop Dogg has come under criticism after he expressed discomfort with Disney’s inclusion of LGBTQ characters in the animated film Lightyear.
Speaking on the It’s Giving podcast, the 53-year-old recalled taking his grandson to the cinema in 2022, where a same-sex couple appeared in the storyline.
Snoop recalled an incident from 2022 when he took one of his grandsons to the cinema to watch Pixar’s Lightyear, a prequel to the Toy Story series. The film includes a character, Commander Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba), who has a wife. Together, the couple raises a child.
Snoop told listeners that his grandson was confused during the screening. The boy asked him:
“Papa Snoop, how can she have a baby with a woman? She is a woman!”
Snoop admitted that the question caught him off guard. He said on the podcast (around the 31-minute mark):
“Oh sht, I didn’t come in for this sht. I just came to watch the goddamn movie. I told him, ‘Shh, eat your popcorn.’ I didn’t know what to say. So now I’m scared to go to the movies. They’re throwing me in the middle of sh*t that I don’t have an answer for.”
He added:
“These are kids. We have to show that at this age? Like, they’re going to ask questions. I don’t have the answer.”
After clips of the interview spread on Reddit, Snoop faced criticism. Several users accused him of being dismissive of LGBTQ+ families. One person wrote:
“It’s only hard to explain if you’re homophobic and trying to hide the existence of gay people from your children.”
Another said the remarks were “blatantly homophobic”, while others pointed out that such conversations with children can be explained simply. One parent commented:
“Some women fall in love with other women. Everyone is different. We accept people for who they are.”
Snoop Dogg has not responded to these criticisms, and his representatives have not issued a statement despite media inquiries.
Who is Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., known worldwide as Snoop Dogg, is one of hip-hop’s longest-standing figures, with a career that began in 1992 under Dr. Dre’s mentorship. Beyond music, he has built a profile as an actor, businessman, and family man. Now aged 53, he is also a grandfather, a role he often speaks about with pride.
Snoop became a grandfather for the first time in 2015, when his son Corde Broadus welcomed a son named Zion. Since then, his family has grown to include grandchildren Elleven, Cordoba, Kai, Sky, Chateau, Symphony Sol, and a new grandchild born in February 2024 to his daughter Cori Broadus. His grandchildren call him “Papa Snoop.”
The debate also revived attention on Disney’s handling of LGBTQ+ themes in Lightyear. During the film’s production, a short kiss between Alisha and her wife was cut, then later reinstated in March 2022 after Pixar employees accused Disney leadership of censoring ‘overtly gay affection.’
The inclusion of the kiss led to the film being banned in the United Arab Emirates and several other countries. Actor Chris Evans, who voiced Buzz Lightyear, defended the decision at the time, saying to Reuters:
“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. The goal is to march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human.”
As of now, his only public comment remains his account on the podcast, where he said the moment with his grandson “threw [him] for a loop.”
