'Old Town Road' Rapper Lil Nas X Tells Gayle King He Prayed Being Gay Was Just a 'Phase' in His Teenage Years

On a recent interview with Gayle King, "Old Town Road" rapper Lil Nas X reveals he used to pray that him being gay was "just a phase" when he was in his teenage years.

In June 2019, Lil Nas X came out as gay through releasing his song entitled "C7osure," following it with a confirmation tweet. However, sitting own on "CBS This Morning" with Gayle King, Nas reveals that it took a while for him to accept his sexuality when he was younger.

Praying It Was a "Phase"

King asked the 20-year-old record-breaker if he knew as a little boy that he was gay, to which he answered that while he knew, he would pray that it was just a phase.

"Definitely. I knew. Especially around my teenage years. I was just like praying, praying, praying. [...] That it was like a phase, [that it would] go away."

Ultimately, it didn't go away. After he rose to fame, Lil Nas X didn't even plan on coming out as he was afraid to lose fans. Growing up in Georgia, he was taught to believe that homosexuality was "never going to be okay." He worried that his cross-genre fan base felt the same.

On Being "Pushed by the Universe"

However, the rapper believes he was "pushed by the universe" when he came out during Pride Month.

"I know the people who listen to this the most, and they're not accepting of homosexuality. I never would have done that if I wasn't in a way pushed by the universe. In June, I'm seeing Pride flags everywhere and seeing couples holding hands -- little stuff like that."

Knowing that his coming out could lose him fans, it didn't matter to him anymore. All he wanted was to let people know who he really is, and he explained that through his song, "C7osure."

A Record-Breaking Artist

Despite the rollercoaster ride of emotions brought about by coming out, Lil Nas X continued to dominate the charts. His debut single, "Old Town Road," was the longest-running number 1 song in history, staying on top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 19 weeks.

At 20-years-old, much more will be expected from Lil Nas X, especially now that he's a record-breaking artist and one that considers more than just a genre.