Lil Nas X opens up after mental health arrest

Lil Nas X posted a June 17 Instagram video describing months of rehab, his bipolar disorder diagnosis, and his focus on getting grounded—while noting that completing a treatment plan could lead to his felony police battery case being dismissed.

Lil Nas X didn’t start his update with a performance-ready smile. In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, June 17, the Grammy-winning rapper admitted he felt “awkward,” but he was ready to talk—about rehab, about bipolar disorder, and about what comes next.

“ I’ve been in rehab for a few months, and since then, I’ve been, you know, back at home — whether it’s in Atlanta with my family or in Los Angeles with myself and friends and whatnot — and trying to ground myself down to earth and get out of my head,” he said in the video.

The timing lands in the middle of a legal and personal turning point. Nearly a year after his arrest on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Lil Nas X said he has been working through a mental health diversion program since March. He told viewers he’s been working with both a therapist and a psychiatrist.

If he completes a treatment plan and stays out of legal trouble for the next two years, the felony police battery case will be dismissed. The consequence is clear: recovery isn’t just the goal he’s describing—it’s also what could determine the outcome of his case.

In the same video, Lil Nas X addressed the bipolar disorder diagnosis that followed the incident. He said he suspected the diagnosis for years but kept pushing it aside.

“When I got my bipolar disorder diagnosis, I feel like I had known for, like, the past few years, but I wouldn’t admit to it because I didn’t want to have to take medication and have people think differently,” he said.

He also joked about the weight of being open about who he is—“Black and gay, like, God… come on. Black, gay, bipolar. I’m, like, living life on, like, extreme hard mode,” he said.

Despite that, he told fans he is “doing much better” and “creating freely,” adding he is focusing on “smelling the roses.”

When the conversation moved to his career, he didn’t pretend everything is finished. Lil Nas X revealed he’s working on new music, but nothing is complete yet. His latest project was the EP Days Before Dreamboy, which debuted in March 2025.

“I’m excited to do that, and I’m excited to go on this journey with you guys, this next chapter,” he said.

“We’ve been through so much together, like, thank you guys for holding it down. I love you, and all I want to do is continue to try to make you proud and make myself proud. So let’s go, Dreamboy, let’s go,” he concluded.

The stakes behind this update trace back to an arrest in August 2025 in Los Angeles’s Studio City neighborhood. Officers claimed they found Lil Nas X walking in the middle of a street after he had shed his clothing. After they approached him, he allegedly charged at them. Police suspected he’d suffered an overdose and took him to a nearby hospital. where he spent several hours before he was booked into jail.

He was later charged with four felonies related to the incident: three counts of battery against a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer. Lil Nas X pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

Not long after the arrest, he posted a video to his Instagram Story telling followers he would be “okay.” Now, with this new message posted June 17, he’s asking fans to see the work behind that promise—and to watch what happens next.

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