Sheletta Brundidge, a WCCO host and producer, sparked a relationship with Lil Nas X after recording the heart-warming moment her son Daniel Brundidge, a boy with autism who is mostly nonverbal, sang along with the lyrics to "Old Town Road."
That sweet moment was seen over 1.4 million times on Twitter alone, and was carried by almost every local and national news outlet across the country.
And now Brundidge talks about Lil Nas X taking heat for a raunchy new video and for releasing controversial, modified Nike Air Max 97s decorated with a pentagram pendant and a reference to Luke 10:18, a Bible verse about Satan's fall from heaven.
The shoes each contain a drop of human blood in the sole, and only 666 pairs of went on sale Monday for $1,018
So, what does Brundidge think? "Almost immediately I started getting direct messages from parents on Facebook and Twitter," revealed the mother who penned a book "Daniel Finds His Voice," an autism awareness book that celebrates the moment her son sang for the first time.
The child's book she penned featuring Lil Nas X is meant to show that "things can and will get better... and Lil Nas X is part of that journey," she said. Lil Nas is a musician, a creator and he's doing "what it is he feels is right to do for him right now."
She added he's a sweet young man who has grown up and "that's his own business."
She said parents have to decide what is appropriate for children, and what is not. "We can't give our values to somebody else," Brundidge said. God doesn't cancel people and "if you're living in a glass house be careful about the stones you're picking up."
It has, however, affected book sales, she revealed. Her book dropped from No. 1 in its category to 46 or 47. But overall, Brundidge isn't bitter. She said the book isn't about making money, it's about raising awareness of autism.
"We're not going to all of a sudden act like Lil Nas X is the devil, he's not," she said.