Tory Lanez says he’s not a “monster,” and plans new efforts to prove his innocence while he serves time in prison for shooting ex-girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in 2020.
Lanez, 33, sat down with NBC News inside the California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo County, where he’s serving 10 years.
“I’ve never been violent toward women, I would never hit a woman, let alone shoot a woman,” the rapper said in the Dec. 18 interview.
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The music star, born Daystar Peterson, added that he’s been unfairly portrayed in the media.
“There is definitely a very big misconception about me, that seems to the public as I’m this monster,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been catapulted into this poster child for the unprotection of Black women and it’s just so unlike me.”
Lanez was found guilty in December 2022 on three felony counts, including assault with a semiautomatic firearm. In August 2023, a Los Angeles County judge sentenced him to 10 years in state prison.
“Actions have consequences,” Judge David Herriford told Lanez before handing down the sentence. Prosecutors recommended the Canadian rapper be deported as soon as he’s released.
NBC Reporter Chloe Melas asked Lanez if he regrets not testifying in his criminal trial.
“I think if I would have taken the stand, the verdict would have been very different,” he said.
Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, testified that Lanez shot her during an argument after a night of drinking and partying in the Hollywood Hills.
Prosecutors told the jury a drunken Lanez shouted, “Dance, b—h!” as he opened fire. Megan has said she was traumatized by the ordeal.
Lanez has insisted all along that he did not shoot Megan. He blamed another person in their entourage, but jurors did not believe the claim.
The rapper was dealt another legal setback in November 2025, when a three-judge panel rejected his appeal after his attorneys claimed prosecutors made “errors” during the trial.
NBC News revealed Lanez’s lawyers plan to file a new appeal to the Supreme Court of California next week, claiming there’s new evidence they didn’t have access to during the trial, including Megan’s medical records.
They’ve also written Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting either a pardon for Lanez or a commutation.
Neither the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, nor reps for Megan Thee Stallion responded to NBC’s request for comment.
Instead, the network spoke to legal analyst Misty Marris, who said prosecutors proved their case to jurors, and Lanez faces “an uphill battle” in his fight to be released.
Still, the rapper remains undeterred. He said he was “wrongfully convicted,” and wants another day in court.
Lanez insisted he does not belong in prison, adding that he’s been dealing with “trauma” since he was incarcerated, including being stabbed by another inmate in May.
The “It Doesn’t Matter” rapper previously said he was stabbed 14 times, but he told NBC the attack was even worse than that.
“I’ve been stabbed 17 times, I almost lost my life,” he stated.
Lanez said he’s now “at a place of healing,” and has “taken accountability for the things that I did wrong.”
You can watch the NBC interview here.
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