‘Old Town Road’ Rapper Lil Nas X Taken to Hospital After Surviving Puzzling Incident in Los Angeles

UPDATE: People reported just before 6:00 p.m. that Lil Nas X was released from the hospital earlier today, August 21.

TMZ reported in the early afternoon of Thursday, August 21 that Lil Nas X, who rose to A-list music stardom after releasing his megahit single “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus back in 2019, was rushed to the hospital after a scary incident in Los Angeles.

TMZ says the star was seen wandering in the dark down a major L.A. street, Ventura Blvd, early Thursday morning. Nas appeared confused, holding a traffic cone over his head at one point. Read on for all the details of the report.

Lil Nas X Taken to Hospital After Witnesses Reported A ‘Possible Overdose’

The TMZ report says they were told by Studio City area sources that the 26-year-old was reported by observers to the LAPD for a “possible overdose.” When officers arrived on the scene, Nas was still in the middle of the road. Officers called paramedics to transport him to the hospital, per the outlet.

Nas was seen repeatedly telling an observer who was filming him from a car window to “come to the party” and making other perplexing comments.

The report says Nas’s reps have not responded to TMZ’s requests for comment, and that the rapper is currently still in the hospital.

Lil Nas X Recently Scrubbed His Instagram & Hinted at New Era

Shortly before the incident that led to his hospital trip, the “Montero” singer scrubbed his Instagram, a common move by music artist’s to mark the start of a new creative era.

On August 20, Nas began filling his feed with new pictures of eye-catching visual artwork, and one selfie which he captioned, “Oh no, she’s gone mad! Crazy I tell you!” He added a string of emojis that included praying hands, a devil face, and red heart.

The star also teased new music. The Source says one track for which he shared a snippet, “Black Horse,” is produced by Young Kio. The outlet pointed out the song has a Western vibe reminiscent of “Old Town Road.”

He also shared a song called “KIMBO” which features Lil John.

Lil Nas X Was Previously Hospitalized In April 2025

The August 21 incident marks the second hospital trip for the artist this year. People reported on April 14 that the Lithia Springs, Georgia native shared a selfie from his hospital bed and told fans the right side of his face had become paralyzed. “Sooooo, lost control of the right side of my face,” the outlet says he explained in an Instagram Reel.

They say he later asked fans in a post to his Stories to “stop being sad for me,” before adding, “Imma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”