Rapper Lil Nas X was caught in an apparent hoax on Thursday after falsely claiming that he had been accepted to Liberty University as part of his turn to Christianity, according to the school.
In a post to X on Wednesday, he pushed back against critics claiming his religious shift is a publicity stunt by posting an alleged acceptance letter.
"I know twitter hates me right now but i want yall to know im literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall. Not everything is a troll! Anyways IM A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO," he wrote.
However, when Fox News Digital reached out to the school, they insisted that the rapper did not even apply.
"We can confirm that Liberty University did not issue the Montero Hill ‘acceptance letter’ posted yesterday to social media, and we have no record of Montero Hill applying to the University. Liberty University exists to glorify God by equipping men and women in higher education in fidelity to the Christian faith expressed through the Holy Scriptures. We continue to pray for America and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed across this land. We welcome all to apply and join us at Liberty University," a spokesperson said.
Some comments online previously cast doubts on the letter, noting that it was "signed" by university president and founder Jerry Falwell, who died in 2007. Lil Nas X’s X post later featured a community note adding that the current president of the private Christian university is Dondi E. Costin.
Falwell's son Jerry Falwell, Jr., who resigned as university president after a sex scandal in 2020, wrote on X that he knew it was "a joke" but insisted he "wouldn't have hesitated to sign that letter for you to enroll."
"Don’t believe all the lies that have been told the last 3 yrs! No judgment at LU, only grace!" Falwell Jr. wrote.
Lil Nas X has come under fire recently as he previewed his upcoming single "J Christ" on Monday. An image released for the song featured him as Jesus Christ on the cross while a group pulls it into place. The rapper also promoted a GIF of himself as Jesus on a golden cross that transforms into a kind of angelic armor around him.
He continued to promote the song using more controversial images and videos such as himself dressed up as Moses parting the Red Sea, himself in a white angel-like gown while carrying machine guns and himself as Jesus consuming holy bread and wine.
Despite this, Lil Nas X has insisted that he is not mocking Jesus and is promoting his "Christian era" of music.
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"The crazy thing is nowhere in the picture is a mockery of Jesus. Jesus’s image is used throughout history in people’s art all over the world. I’m not making fun of sh-t. yall just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born. Stfu," he wrote on X Monday.
Lil Nas X previously came under fire in 2021 for pushing satanic imagery in his music and merchandise. In the music video for his song "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)," the rapper was dressed provocatively, pole dancing and giving Satan a lap dance in Hell. He also pushed a line of Satan-themed sneakers that featured a pentagram and inverted cross and boasted about having a drop of real human blood.
