FCC Receives Only Three Complaints Following Lil Nas X Kiss on BET Awards
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reportedly only received three complaints from viewers upset by the same-sex kiss of gay rapper Lil Nas X and one of his dancers during his June 27, 2020 performance at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards.
The rapper kissed one of his male dancers while performing "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," a song about the longing and anxiety in his romances.
Using an ancient Egyptian theme, Lil Nas X ascended the BET stage in golden boots, a skirt, armlets, eye makeup and a pharaoh crown. His shirtless dancers wore black harem pants and head coverings with gold collars and armlets. The audience cheered as he kissed a dancer at the end of the song. It was the first male-on-male kiss ever to occur during a performance at the awards ceremony.
"I was very disturbed to see 2 men practically having sexual in the stage when the awards show is supposed to be a family show," one error-ridden FCC complaint read. "It's ridiculous and children and adults are being forced to endure this. Unacceptable and I will be unsubscribing from BET network. DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING!!!!!!!!"
A second complaint read, "During a performance 2 gay men kissed. Why are you showing this on tv. It is disgusting and wrong for kids to see because it's unnatural."
"Satanism shouldn't be broadcast on a family-oriented award show," read the third complaint—likely a reference to the song's music video. The video shows the rapper pole dancing his way down to Hell, giving a lapdance to Satan and breaking his neck to steal his horned crown and become the underworld's ruler.
Lil Nas X responded to critics outraged by his BET performance on Twitter.
"like the song is literally about gay sex what y'all want me to do play the piano while baking a cake?" he wrote in a June 28 tweet.
He also tweeted that his performance was overtly sexual in order to fight the insecurity and shame he felt from growing up gay in a homophobic culture. He also called it "hilarious" that some parents were upset by his performance because they had to explain to their children that "gay people exist."
Lil Nas X's BET performance was the second time he performed "Montero" to a large broadcast audience. The first was on the May 22 episode of Saturday Night Live.
During that performance, his pants ripped at the crotch just as he mounted a platform to perform a pole dance. He spent the rest of the performance holding his hand in front of his groin and awkwardly smiling until the song's conclusion.
Newsweek contacted Lil Nas X's representative for comment but did not hear back before publication time.
