Highlights
- Lil Nas X publicly confirms bipolar disorder diagnosis in heartfelt Instagram video update
- Rapper spent months in rehab after August 2025 arrest; battery charges set to be dismissed
- “Old Town Road” star teases new music, says “there’s less fear in my heart”
Lil Nas X is back, and he is not holding anything back.
The “Old Town Road” rapper broke his lengthy public silence on Wednesday, posting a candid video to Instagram in which he confirmed a bipolar disorder diagnosis, opened up about his months-long rehabilitation stay, and teased new music on the horizon.
“I’ve been in rehab for a few months and since then, I’ve been back at home, whether it’s in Atlanta with my family or in Los Angeles with myself, friends and whatnot, and trying to ground myself down to earth and get out of my head,” he said in the video.
The update marks his most substantial public appearance since a harrowing incident last August, when Los Angeles police responded to a report of a “nude man walking in the street” on Ventura Boulevard around 5:50 a.m. on Aug. 21. Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, was identified in photos and video appearing to show him walking down the roadway wearing white cowboy boots and matching underwear.
The LAPD confirmed he was “transported to a local hospital for a possible overdose and placed under arrest for Battery on a Police Officer.”
In an early video following the arrest, the rapper described the ordeal as “terrifying” and reassured fans by saying, “Your girl is gonna be ok, ya’ll.”
At the center of Wednesday’s update was the bipolar diagnosis, which Lil Nas X admitted he had long suspected but actively avoided confronting.
“When I got my bipolar disorder diagnosis, I feel like I had known for like the past few years, but I didn’t want to admit to it,” he explained, “because I didn’t want to have to take medication, and have people think different of me.”
He now has a therapist and a psychiatrist, which he described as “really helpful” in processing the diagnosis.
Despite the weight of the moment, the rapper injected his signature humor. “I’m already Black and gay, like damn, God. Come on, Black, gay and bipolar? I’m living life on extreme hard mode,” he said.
He quickly shifted to a more sincere tone. “On a serious note, I’m doing much better, I’m feeling better. I’m creating freely and there’s less fear in my heart and I’m smelling the roses.”
The legal chapter connected to last summer’s incident appears to be heading toward a resolution. In April, Los Angeles judge Alan Schneider granted Lil Nas X entry into a mental health diversion program, agreeing to dismiss the battery case if the rapper continues treatment and does not break any laws over the next two years. “When treated, he is much better off, and society is much better off,” the judge said, adding that the two-time Grammy winner “appears to be doing very well” so far.
Last September, his attorneys had said he entered treatment, explaining that “we’re doing what is best for Montero from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint, but most importantly for his well-being.”
Wednesday’s video also carried a note of excitement for what comes next. “Speaking of music, I want to let you guys know there’s new music on the way. I’m not getting completely to it just yet but I’m excited to do that,” he told fans.
He closed the video with a heartfelt message to his supporters: “Thank you guys for holding me down. I love you. All I want to do is continue to try to make you proud and make myself proud.”
The rapper has been largely absent from the public eye since the arrest, and Wednesday’s update signaled a clear turning point in both his personal recovery and his return to the music world he helped reshape with his genre-defying smash hits.
