Rapper and actor Ice-T was scrutinized for mocking singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz for practicing celibacy.
Kravitz told The Guardian in an interview that he was voluntarily abstaining from sex outside of marriage and hasn't had a relationship for nine years, saying his decision was “a spiritual thing."
The multi-Grammy winner who emerged in the 1990s with hit songs like "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" and "American Woman" said he wasn't opposed to being in a relationship in the future but admitted it could be a struggle.
“I have become very set in my ways, in the way I live," admitted Kravitz.
Ice-T caught wind of Kravitz's commitment to celibacy and shared a screenshot of the news headline in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter).
The 66-year-old O.G. Original Gangster rapper wrote:
"9 yrs without Sex? F that BS. Weirdo sh*t."You can see a screenshot shared by the No Jumper podcast account, here.
@nojumper/X
One disappointed social media user came to Kravitz's defense, writing:
“Why judge him, though? It’s his choice."
"I don’t think it’s fair to assume something is wrong with him just because he’s chosen to be celibate for a long period."
"I think there are many humans who can & do abstain … for various reasons.”
But Ice-T refused to back down. He countered:
"Sh*t's Weird to me..... I love to F'k. A lot."
He added:
“Hey….. If you’re a Guy and you can voluntarily go 9yrs without sex… You’re following the wrong page.."
@nojumper/X
When user @zondrawilson called Ice-T out for being "wrong" and said that Kravitz was "not weird" because it was "his own journey," Ice-T replied:
"F that Journey.... lol."
@nojumper/X
People went after Ice-T for his comments.
Fans of Kravitz backed his choice.
In the interview, Kravitz opened up about discovering at a young age his father's infidelity and being told by him that he would grow up to be the same way, like a curse.
Following two called-off engagements after Kravitz had amicably divorced actor Lisa Bonet in 1993, he realized he was becoming "a player," just as his father predicted.
“He became right,” Kravitz said of his dad, news producer Sy Kravitz. “After the marriage, I became more like him."
This led Kravitz to consider making serious changes in his sex life.
“I didn’t want to be that guy," he told the media outlet, adding:
"So I had to tackle that and it took years.”
“By taking responsibility. Discipline. Not letting my own desires take over.”
