Heavy/Getty/Bravo Lil Nas X and Adam Lambert
Nine months after hip-hop superstar Lil Nas X told Heavy how much he appreciates the work done by entertainers like Adam Lambert to pave the way for other queer artists, the “American Idol” alum has publicly responded to his remarks. On Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live After Show” on July 11, 2023, Lambert said that he was “flattered” and can’t quite believe Nas remembers his name.
“That was very flattering that he even knows who I am,” Lambert told a viewer who asked for his reaction to the remarks. “I think he’s such a rock star, and so bold and brave, and I love what he’s doing. So I was very flattered by that.”
Lambert has been complimentary of the “Old Town Road” singer in previous media interviews. In October 2022, Nas exclusively told Heavy how meaningful Lambert’s support has been to him.
“I know Adam, we’ve met a couple of times,” Nas said. “I did thank him in person, actually. I really appreciate all the love that he’s shown me and I definitely don’t take it for granted. And I appreciate all the doors that him and people like him opened.”
Andy Cohen Says He Was Impressed By Lil Nas X’s Comments About Adam Lambert
Lambert, who was runner-up on “American Idol” in 2009 and came out publicly via Rolling Stone shortly after, continues to be one of the show’s most successful former contestants. In late 2022, Yahoo estimated his net worth at $35 million, ranking him just behind fellow “Idol” alumni Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood in earnings.
In addition to releasing hit songs like his Grammy-nominated first single “Whataya Want From Me,” touring with Queen as its lead singer, and diving into entrepreneurial ventures like a new nail polish line with Orly, Lambert has long been a vocal advocate and role model for the LGBTQ+ community.
During Lambert’s “What What Happens Live” appearance alongside fellow pop star Kylie Minogue, Cohen said he’d been impressed by the gratitude Lil Nas X had shown toward Lambert.
“I loved that because when he said it … it brought to light kind of all the crap that you went through years ago,” Cohen told Lambert. “I just remember you kissing that guy on the American Music Awards and the sh**storm that came after it. And that was not that long ago.”
In 2009, when Lambert kissed his male keyboardist during a performance on the American Music Awards, it was seen as so risqué that he was banned from ABC and, according to Insider, the network threatened to sue him.
More than a decade later, Lil Nas X made headlines over his own kiss with a male dancer on the 2021 BET Awards and though he told USA Today he was initially terrified about the potential response, the buzz about it quickly died down, proving his point that artists like Lambert have been trailblazers, helping to normalize what used to be taboo.
Lambert told Cohen, “To see him be able to get on stage and have backing from the industry, and do racy, fabulous, and edgy performances, and finally being able to do that without getting canceled or pulled off of a network, it was like ‘Okay, this is great. We’ve come into a new chapter.'”
Adam Lambert & Lil Nas X Both Say They Hope to Inspire People to Be True to Themselves
ABCSeason 8 runner-up Adam Lambert returned to “American Idol” to perform and mentor contestants on April 30, 2023.
In May, Lambert told USA Today that he refused to let homophobia stand in his way in the early years of stardom. And his success has allowed him to create change, including launching The Feel Something Foundation in 2019, a non-profit dedicated to supporting and funding LGBTQ+ human rights initiatives.
“Queerness in my career has given me a certain amount of purpose and drive, to prove that queer people are valid and can be successful and can connect and deserve every opportunity that our straight friends get,” he said.
Lambert, who returned to “Idol” during season 21 to mentor contestants and perform, also said he bristles when he hears people talk of a so-called “gay agenda.”
He told USA Today, “When they say the gay agenda, which always gets under my skin that they say stuff like that, I think to myself, the only agenda I think I and my community have is to try to help people feel OK to be themselves. That’s the agenda. The agenda is, ‘You’re OK. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t be miserable. Don’t kill yourself, don’t go down a dark path. There’s a light to what you are and who you are.’ That’s the agenda.”
In October, Nas told Heavy that he hopes to open doors for young artists the way Lambert has, and he’s always looking for ways to help them gain easy access to arts programs and explore music. For instance, he teamed with M&M’s last year to raise money and awareness for the Sing for Hope organization.
“I feel like music should be accessible in as many places as possible because I feel like it’s a world healer,” he said, “and I think everybody deserves that.”
Nas came out publicly at the height of his “Old Town Road” success, and when he released his first full EP “Montero” in 2021, he tweeted a touching letter to his 14-year-old self that read in part, “I know we promised to never come out publicly, i know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, i know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.”
Much like Lambert, he later said his only agenda was to work towards equality and acceptance.
At the Native Son Awards in 2021, according to the New Zealand Herald, Nas said, “Some people say I am pushing an agenda, and I am. It’s called liberation. There’s no road map when you’re the first to break a barrier, and I hope that one day it’s no longer ground-breaking for queer artists to find mainstream success…. Until that day comes, there’s work to do and I will continue to do my part.”