Out gay rapper Lil Nas X delivered fiery and heartfelt performances of his latest hits “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Sun Goes Down” on the finale of “Saturday Night Live's” 46th season over the weekend. But the artist who has curried favor with audiences LGBTQ and otherwise with his explicit portrayal of his identity in his music nearly got a bit too explicit for network TV during his first performance of the night.
While recreating the memorable pole dance descent into Hell from the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video for the live audience, Lil Nas X's pants ripped. The moment elicited an unintentionally funny reaction from the artist and forcing him to finish the performance with one hand keeping everything covered with his hand.
Lil Nas X addressed the wardrobe malfunction during an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” Monday, saying he wanted to set the record straight that it wasn't a publicity stunt. “I would never rip my pants in public on purpose,” he said. A recording of the rapper successfully performing his pole routine with pants intact during the “SNL” dress rehearsal offered further confirmation while giving audiences everything they missed.
The Atlanta rapper cheekily said that he “will never trust pants again” on Twitter prior to sitting down with Fallon and followed through with that by wearing a red tartan skirt during his interview. Despite his newfound distrust of pants, Lil Nas X was able to detail the experience somewhat jokingly when speaking to Fallon. “I'm pretty much going down the pole, doing my little sexy drop down and, boom, I feel air,” Lil Nas X said. “I'm like ‘OK, there is definitely a breeze going on.'”
“At the end of the performance, the dancers are supposed to touch me and tug on me and they were tugging on the pants. I was like ‘Please, God, no,'” he added. Lil Nas X also detailed how all the dancers had to be replaced on short notice after his one of his original dancers contracted Covid-19 days before the performance. He noted their skill for learning the entire routine in 24 hours.
The conversation ended with the outspoken artist talking about the deeply personal nature of his forthcoming new album “Montero,” equating it to a vulnerable coming-of-age story. “My entire life has led up to the moment of this album. It's honest. It's 100% me,” Lil Nas X said. “I'm exploring my sexuality, myself. It's like a coming-of-age story … It's everything, man, and it's something that everyone can vibe along to.”
