In July 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot after a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s house. At the time, she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post: “On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me."
However, people immediately began to question the validity of her story, with the scrutiny intensifying when she accused Canadian rapper Tory Lanez of being the perpetrator the following month.
In a bid to silence the cynics, Megan shared a graphic photo of her injuries to Instagram, where she asked in the caption: “Why would I lie abt being shot?”
Tory was officially charged with felony assault against Megan in October 2020. He has denied the allegations against him, and his trial was recently postponed to December of this year.
In April, Megan spoke about the events that led up to the shooting during an interview with CBS Mornings. She claimed that an “argument” had begun because she “was ready to go, and everybody else wasn’t ready to go.”
Music megastar @theestallion sits down exclusively with @GayleKing for her first TV interview addressing the 2020 shooting allegedly involving rapper Tory Lanez, Monday on #CBSMornings. Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty to an assault charge related to the alleged shooting.
“But that’s, like, normal friend stuff… We fuss over silly stuff all the time,” she added while fighting back tears. “But I never put my hands on anybody. I never raised my voice too loud… It shouldn’t have got this crazy.”
"All I hear is this man screaming. And he said, 'Dance, bitch.' And he started shooting,” Megan said.
She explained that she “didn’t want to move too quick” because she was scared she’d be shot somewhere “important” if she took a “wrong step.”
“I don't know if he could shoot me and kill me,” the star continued. “I was really scared, 'cause I had never been shot at before.”
And in June, Megan reflected on the negative response she received as a result of the shooting in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Quoting claims that she’d seen on social media that she was lying about the incident, Megan told the publication: “In some kind of way, I became the villain. And I don’t know if people don’t take it seriously because I seem strong."
“I wonder if it’s because of the way I look. Is it because I’m not light enough? Is it that I’m not white enough? Am I not the shape? The height? Because I’m not petite?" she continued. “Do I not seem like I’m worth being treated like a woman?”
In the song “Circo Loco,” Drake raps: “This bitch lie ‘bout getting shot but she still a stallion / She don’t even get the joke but she still smiling.”
The line sparked immediate backlash from listeners, with many criticizing Drake for the obvious reference to Megan and for fueling the “ridiculous conspiracy theory” that she is lying about the shooting.
“Welp. that’s the final straw on Drake for me,” one person wrote on a Reddit forum. “Why do we have to jump through so many hoops to be believed. and for the record, fuck anyone who continues this insane narrative that Megan* is lying.”
“Oh fuck him,” another user agreed. “You know this is going to give credence to that ridiculous conspiracy theory. Makes me so angry that people are going to listen to this and just believe it is true without looking further.”
“The shitty thing is that Tory did not have this much support and clout before the shooting,” someone else wrote on another forum. “The fact that he shot a successful black woman is why he's getting all these features and shout outs from different celebs.”
Someone else echoed: “She doesn’t deserve this. Shame on Drake and all these losers for making jabs about her trauma.”
“She deserves so much better, i truly hate that her name is being thrown around like this,” another person said of Megan.
And Megan herself wasted no time in responding, taking to Twitter to call Drake out for using her shooting “for clout.”
“I know I’m very popular but y’all gotta stop attaching weak ass conspiracy theories in bars to my name,” she began.
I know I’m very popular but y’all gotta stop attaching weak ass conspiracy theories in bars to my name lol Niggas nor hoes EVER address me or @ me WITH a fact or receipts. I AM CLOUT BITCH keep sucking my pussy
“Stop using my shooting for clout bitch ass Niggas! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot !” Megan wrote in another tweet. “You niggas especially RAP NIGGAS ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y’all homeboys abused her.”
Stop using my shooting for clout bitch ass Niggas! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot ! You niggas especially RAP NIGGAS ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y’all homeboys abused her
“And when the mf facts come out remember all y’all hoe ass favorite rappers that stood behind a Nigga that SHOT A FEMALE,” she continued. “People attack me y’all go up for it , i defend myself now I’m doing too much … every time it never ends and this did NOT happen until I came out and said I got shot … y’all don’t fwm okay cool fuck it bye.”
And when the mf facts come out remember all y’all hoe ass favorite rappers that stood behind a Nigga that SHOT A FEMALE
People attack me y’all go up for it , i defend myself now I’m doing too much … every time it never ends and this did NOT happen until I came out and said I got shot … y’all don’t fwm okay cool fuck it bye
Megan’s response left many sympathetic to how “exhausting” it must be for her to constantly defend herself against these accusations.
“I can’t imagine how exhausting it is for her to have to stand up for herself over and over again,” one person wrote. “She’s honestly so right about rappers using her assault for attention. I can’t stand all these people who jump to the conclusion of ‘she’s lying because I said so’ bullshit."
“She's such a badass. Truly a legend in the making,” another person said in response to Megan’s tweets, to which someone else replied: “She really is & that’s what keeps impressing me. She’s still handling all of her business, no excuses, & is setting an example of what it looks like to speak up & out against bullshit.”
“Feels like Drake is begging for attention with this lyric. Meg's an incredible artist and one of the most gifted rappers on the scene - I wouldn't be surprised if there's a ton of jealousy behind him dragging her like this,” someone else wrote.
BuzzFeed News has contacted Drake's representative for comment.
Last month, a Los Angeles judge placed Tory under house arrest ahead of his trial for the shooting after ruling that he’d violated the conditions of his bail.
This was due to allegations that Tory had assaulted August Alsina in Chicago in September, which Tory is not currently facing criminal charges for.
UPDATE
This post has been updated to reflect that Megan Thee Stallion was shot after the pool party.