In an interview with Gayle King, out
singer Lil Nas X said that as a teenager he prayed that being gay was
a phase.
Lil Nas X, 20, came out at the end of
June on Twitter. He is best known for his single “Old Town Road”
with Billy Ray Cyrus.
Lil Nas X told King that he knew he was
gay at a young age.
“Yeah, definitely. I knew,” he
said. “Especially around my teenage years. You know, I would just
pray, pray, and pray … that it was a phase.”
“That it would go away?” King
asked.
“Yeah, it would go away. … 'Cause
me being in this position, like, it's easy for me. But some little
boy ten miles from here … it's not gonna be good for him,” he
answered.
“But don't you think you coming out
could probably help others who are struggling the way you were
struggling with it?” King asked.
“I think it’s gonna always help,
you know. We still have a long way to go, because it’s not, like,
everybody is messing with me now. … But I do believe it's helping,”
he said.
(Related: Adam
Lambert: Lil Nas X coming out gay proves it's about music, not
sexuality.)
King's interview with Lil Nas X will
air Tuesday on CBS This Morning.