“Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X is looking for an off-ramp from his recent legal trouble.
The Grammy winner, born Montero Hill, appeared in court Thursday as his lawyer asked a judge for a short delay so she could file a motion seeking to transfer his felony police battery case into an unspecified diversion program. She did not elaborate on the type of program but said she was waiting on an “expert report” to support the request. Diversion programs generally lead to charges being dismissed if defendants complete treatment or rehabilitation.
The Los Angeles County judge ordered the case back on April 6. Outside the courthouse in Van Nuys, Calif., Hill agreed to make a brief statement to reporters. His lawyer, Christy O’Connor, said he wouldn’t be able to take any questions amid the pending legal matter.
“All I wanted to say is to my fans, I really love, and I miss you, and I appreciate your support so much, and I can’t wait to be back hugging you guys,” Hill said before blowing a kiss. “You guys, have a good day.”
As he walked away, Hill stopped and asked for a song when he passed a busker with a guitar, smoking a cigarette outside. Jensen Pawley, 39, unpacked his instrument and played Radiohead’s “Lucky” as Hill tapped his foot. Hill handed him $100, leaving Pawley gobsmacked.
“It was a great moment,” Pawley tells Rolling Stone. “[He’s] a nice guy.”
Hill was arrested Aug. 21, 2025, after he was captured on video walking in traffic in the predawn hours, wearing only his underwear. Prosecutors say Hill, 26, was “strolling naked” along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City around 5:40 a.m. when police arrived.
They allege Hill assaulted responding officers who tried to take him into custody, injuring three of them. He was later charged with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer. Hill has pleaded not guilty and faces up to five years in state prison if convicted as charged.
After he spent the weekend in jail following his arrest, Hill called the incident “terrifying” in a social media post. “Your girl is gonna be OK, y’all,” the artist said in an Instagram video. “That was fucking terrifying. That was terrifying. That was a terrifying last four days. But your girl is gonna be all right.”At a hearing in mid-September, Hill’s lawyers said he was “in treatment” at an out-of-state facility. Judge Shellie Samuels sealed the details of the care he was receiving.
“You heard the ‘treatment’ word. We’re doing what is best for Montero from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint, but most importantly, for his well-being,” Hill’s lawyer, Drew Findling, said after the September hearing. “He is surrounded by an amazing family, an amazing team of people that care about him and love him. And we’re just addressing those issues. It’s really as simple as that. He’s had a great life, and he’ll continue to have a great life. This is a bump that he’s going to get over.”
Before his arrest, Hill had shared unreleased music and mirror selfies on Instagram that sparked concern among fans. Police initially transported him to a nearby hospital for a possible overdose before taking him to jail.
Hill’s father, Robert Stafford, rushed to Los Angeles to support the rapper and later told London’s The Times that Hill had been dealing with “pressure” he placed on himself as an artist and as the “breadwinner” for multiple people.
“We all have breakdowns every now and then, but the difference is, yours get played out in the public eye when you’re a celebrity,” Stafford said. “Hopefully, this is a turning point in his mental stability.”
Swiftiephylus amator and Swiftiephylus taylorae, two of the bugs named after Taylor Swift because of their blonde and red coloring. Courtesy of Brad Balukjian, Ph.D.