NEWSLil Nas X's Dad Breaks Down Visiting Him in Jail After Rapper's Shocking Arrest: 'I Couldn't Do Anything But Cry'
Lil Nas X and his father broke down into tears during a jail visit.
Aug. 31 2025, Published 11:45 a.m. ET
Father of Lil Nas X, Robert Stafford, opened up in a candid interview following his son’s arrest, detailing how difficult it was to see the “Old Town Road” artist in jail.
Stafford visited his son, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, while he was locked up in Van Nuys Jail. Seeing him in a compromised position caused both Stafford and the entertainer to break into tears.
'We Shed Tears With Each Other'
The entertainer asked his dad to tell his fans how sorry he was for his actions.
“I went to visit him in jail, and as soon as I walked through that door, I couldn’t do anything but cry,” Stafford told a news outlet. “To see my baby boy on the other side of that glass. We shed tears with each other for a minute.”
The artist’s father reassured his son that nobody is perfect and that his erratic behavior on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles was nothing to be ashamed of.
Stafford recalled telling the 26-year-old, “‘What you’re going through is normal. We all have breakdowns every now and then, but the difference is, yours played out in the public eye.’”
'Tell Everybody I'm Sorry They Saw Me Like That'
Lil Nas X was arrested on August 21.
He also shared Lil Nas X’s remorse for stripping down naked and strutting in the middle of the street before attacking responding officers, as the entertainer didn’t want his millions of fans to see him in that condition.
“When I went to visit, he asked me to say, ‘Tell everybody I’m sorry they saw me like that,’” Stafford shared. “Even in that moment, he was apologizing to people for something he was going through.”
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Lil Nas X Pleads Not Guilty
The artist pleaded not guilty to four felony charges.
Lil Nas X’s arrest occurred on the early morning of August 21. When law enforcement approached him, he reportedly punched an officer twice in the face. He was charged with four felonies, including one count of resisting an executive officer and three counts of battery with injury on a police officer.
The “Call Me By Your Name” artist pleaded not guilty and posted a $75,000 bail before being released from jail on August 25.
Lil Nas X's Dad Says Rapper Was 'Not' Under the Influence of Drugs
Lil Nas X's father said his son was 'absolutely not' on drugs at time of his arrest.
Speculation of Lil Nas X being under the influence at the time led to a judge ordering him to go to rehab. When asked by a mob of reporters if his son was on “illegal drugs” when he pranced in his underwear to Nicki Minaj’s verse on Kanye West’s song “Monster,” Stafford responded, “Absolutely not.”
Since his release from jail, Lil Nas X reached out to the public through an online video, saying, “Your girl is gonna be OK.”
