Overview
- During an interview on The Jason Lee Show on Thursday, A$AP Rocky responded to a question about Tyler’s sexuality by saying “that n***a gay” and then added that Tyler “plays gay all day.”
- Rocky followed the remark with mixed language that included a duck metaphor and a comment that he has not personally “seen” Tyler engage in gay sex, which some outlets described as a partial backtrack.
- Tyler, the Creator has not publicly responded to Rocky’s comment and has remained relatively out of the public eye following the release of Don’t Tap The Glass.
- Public and journalistic debate over Tyler’s sexual identity dates back years to provocative interviews and lyrics — examples include a 2015 Rolling Stone exchange and lines on Flower Boy, Call Me If You Get Lost, and Chromakopia that many have read as indicating same-sex attraction.
- The episode has quickly spread on social platforms and raised ethics questions about friends or media labeling someone’s sexuality without their explicit self-identification and could increase pressure on Tyler to address his private life publicly.