Lil Nas X arrested following altercation with LA police

Lil Nas X has been arrested and hospitalised in LA after being filmed walking through the streets in his underwear.

After police officers were called to the scene at 5.30am, the LAPD have alleged that Lil Nas X “charged” at one of them. He was then arrested on suspicion of battery.

The video, which was first posted by TMZ, appears to show Lil Nas X – whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill – walking through the Studio City area dressed only in white underwear and cowboy boots, occasionally singing, dancing, and telling passersby not to “miss the party”. At one point, he says to the person filming him, “give me that phone so I can throw it. I want to throw it far away so you never see it again”.

In the two days leading up to the event, he had posted a series of Instagram posts, showing him singing a cappella and posing in outfits at his home, with furniture and artworks scattered behind him. His representatives have yet to comment.

Lil Nas X, who became an overnight star in 2018 with the release of Old Town Road, has previously spoken about the challenges that come with fame. “I usually deal with my sad times in private because I don’t like for my fans or family to feel sorry for me,” he tweeted back in 2019, and earlier this year, he told People magazine that the last few years have been hard for him. He has also spoken repeatedly about the enormous amount of racism and homophobia he has faced throughout his career.

After he was apprehended by the police, the artist was taken to the hospital on suspicion of a drug overdose (although this hasn’t been confirmed). He was released from hospital and taken to jail not long after. He is due to release his long-awaited second full-length album, Dreamboat, later this year, after dropping an EP, Days Before Dreamboy, and two singles earlier in 2025.

The incident should act as a reminder that, if you see someone behaving erratically or having some kind of crisis, calling the police on them probably isn’t the best idea. We hope he’s OK and wish him all the best.