Lil Nas X Says He Was ‘Never Gay,’ Then Backtracks, In April Fools’ Day Tweets

This April Fools’ Day may not have brought the same levity as previous years, but Lil Nas X found a self-effacing way to mark the unofficial holiday anyway. 

On Wednesday morning, the newly minted LGBTQ icon declared he was “never gay” on Twitter, joking that his much-publicized coming out last year was merely a ploy to “build up fuel” for April Fools’ Day this year. 

Not surprisingly, the “admission” both amused and perplexed Lil Nas X’s followers.

Rapper Ka5sh seemed to catch on quickly, however. 

“Coming out as straight is so brave,” he tweeted, to which Lil Nas X replied:     

Fortunately, the rapper and singer’s reverse coming out was short-lived. 

Just 13 minutes later, he tweeted: 

Lil Nas X’s tongue-in-cheek decision to reembrace his sexuality came as a relief to his celebrity pals, including Olympic skater Adam Rippon and singer Troye Sivan.  

World-renowned LGBTQ rights activist Frank Mugisha also weighed in. 

Lil Nas X, who turns 21 on April 9, set a new precedent for LGBTQ artists in mainstream music last year when his country-trap smash “Old Town Road” became the longest-running No. 1 hit of all time on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. 

The two-time Grammy winner first opened up about his sexuality publicly on Twitter in June 2019 to mark LGBTQ Pride Month. 

Days later, he told the BBC he hoped to be “opening the doors” for more diversity in country and hip-hop, genres in which identifying as LGBTQ is still “not really accepted.”