Lil Nas X brought all the sexual energy, leather and skin-baring outfits from his stunning music video to the Saturday Night Live stage over the weekend — but ended up delivering an even more revealing performance than he planned.
The artist rocked a half-top and super tight leather pants for his first set of the night while flanked by a legion of shirtless back-up dancers in what was one of the most memorable and sexually charged SNL performances in recent memory.
The number was already super steamy — with a ton of skin, lap dances and neck licking — before Lil Nas X stepped up to the stripper pole to show off some of his moves.
Nas began working the pole, and as he squatted down toward the floor, yep, he split his pants. After a comically stunned “Oh NO!” look followed by a priceless embarrassed smile, he finished the song as one long crotch grab, without missing a note or a cue. (Watch the full performance below.)
It would seem the artist actually split open the front of his skin-tight leather pants and managed to play it off in a fun, playful way that worked into the routine itself. He even managed to finish the set without a hang-up and ended with a striking image of himself with giant wings.
Lil NAs X himself was among the many, many people on social media commenting on the wardrobe malfunction. He first tweeted, “NOT MY PANTS RIPPED ON LIVE ON TV.” Later, he joked, “I wanted to do my pole routine so bad this what i get lmaoo.”
The second performance, of his new single “Sun Goes Down,“ was much more straightforward, as he sang the song in a sleek white suit embellished with a fake bullet wounds over his heart and stomach. He finished the song with a big smile, calling out to the audience, “I love you all!”
He also appeared in a pre-recorded Pride-themed video sketch earlier in the show, taking a verse while wearing a pink outfit bedecked with a giant-feathered headdress. (Watch below.)
