As previously reported by REVOLT, earlier this month saw BET announcing the nominees for this year’s BET Awards, which sees Doja Cat, Drake, and Ari Lennox leading the pack. Unfortunately, one person that hasn’t received any nods for 2022 is Lil Nas X, a quandary for many given the Georgian talent’s success over the past year.

Shortly after the revelation, Lil Nas X expressed his disappointment over the snub in a now-deleted tweet, while also responding to a critic about his award-worthy achievements:

“Thank you BET Awards. An outstanding zero nominations again. Black Excellence! … Idk maybe 3 of the biggest songs of last year and a critically acclaimed album … I feel like that should’ve helped me a bit.”

He even toyed around with a BET diss song and continued to address the issue with others on social media, including a detractor who pointed out that both Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean — two other hip-hop artists that represent the LGBTQIA+ community — are also nominated:

“Love frank and tyler to death but can we admit queer men are more respected when they do less feminine things or am i making that up?”

Now, BET has responded to the backlash over Lil Nas X‘s lack of award nominations. Taking to Instagram, the network shared a series of photos of the “INDUSTRY BABY” star, along with a message declaring support for the artist:

“This is bigger than the #BETAwards. This is real life and we will always rock with Lil’ Nas X and stand for our people.”

In addition, BET released an official statement on their website further explaining their stance:

“We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice … Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals … No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy,”

Check out BET’s aforementioned Instagram post below and read their official statement in its entirety here.