"We have to show that at this age?": Snoop Dogg comments on LGBTQ+ representation in Lightyear

Snoop Dogg has criticized the rise of LGBTQ+ characters in children's films, specifically Lightyear. This comes after he went to watch the movie with his grandson, who asked him questions about the lesbian characters in it.

Lightyear was released in 2022 as a spinoff from the Toy Story franchise, as it features the journey of Buzz Lightyear. The animated movie also features Buzz's best friend, Alisha Hawthorne, who gets stranded on another planet. In one montage, she is seen kissing, marrying, and raising a child with her partner, Kiko.

In an appearance on the It's Giving podcast on August 20, Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., said:

"What you see is what you see, and they're putting it everywhere. They're like, 'She had a baby — with another woman.' Well, my grandson, in the middle of the movie is like, 'Papa Snoop? How she have a baby with a woman? She's a woman!'.'Oh sh*t, I didn't come in for this sh*t. I just came to watch the goddamn movie.'"

Snoop Dogg shared how his grandson kept asking him questions, adding:

"'They just said, she and she had a baby — they're both women. How does she have a baby?'"

Snoop Dogg also said that the experience,

"f**ked me up. I'm like, scared to go to the movies. Y'all throwing me in the middle of sh*t that I don't have an answer for. It threw me for a loop. I'm like, 'What part of the movie was this?' These are kids. We have to show that at this age? They're going to ask questions. I don't have the answer."

Kiko and Alisha were reportedly Disney's first-ever same sex kiss displayed on screen.

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More about the controversy around Lightyear amidst Snoop Dogg's comments

World Premiere Of Disney And Pixar's "Lightyear" In Hollywood CA (Image Source: Getty)

This isn't the first time that Lightyear has faced the scrutiny around its LGBTQ+ characters. While Snoop Dogg's comments are recent, the film faced major controversy even before the release, after the montage was released. Disney even removed the kiss between Alisha and Kiko from their theatrical release. However, a major backlash led to them putting it back in.

In the movie, Alisha's ship crashes on an alien planet where she meets Kiko. They grow together, which is shown via a montage. When their son graduates, they share a kiss.

Soon after the kiss was removed, many employees at Pixar wrote an open letter, slamming Disney. They claimed that the company has a history of removing LGBTQ+ characters and also supporting anti-LBGTQ movements. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published on June 14, 2022, Lightyear producer Galyn Susman spoke about the letter, saying:

"I totally agree with the sentiment. I'm not always a big fan of sharing with the whole world everything that we're thinking, so though I agree with the sentiment, I probably would've liked it to be released in a different way. But here's the thing — people look to see themselves in films. The more they can find themselves in the movie, the more they can connect to the movie."

Susman continued:

"That's the whole idea when you're working toward having a diverse cast, is to be able to reach out and touch and speak to as many people as you possibly can."

She added that they wanted to make a montage that feels authentic and connects with people. Following the open letter, the kiss was added back in the movie.