Tory Lanez Speaks Out From Prison, Maintaining Innocence

Tory Lanez is finally speaking out. In his first on-camera interview since going to prison for the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, Lanez is standing by his innocence—and sharing his side of the story.

“I’ve never been violent towards a woman,” Lanez told NBC News. “I would never hit a woman, let alone shoot a woman.”

Currently, Lanez is locked up at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo County. He was moved there for safety after a stabbing incident at the California Correctional Institution in May.

“There is definitely a very big misconception about me … that I’m this monster,” he said. “I feel like I was catapulted into this poster child for the unprotection of Black women, and it’s just so unlike me. And I’ve never really had a chance to express that. But you can look at my criminal record. I don’t have one, I never had one. And I feel like, you know, that connotation that I would do anything of this monstrous proportion is just completely incorrect, and it’s wrong.”

When asked about his decision not to testify during his 2022 trial, Lanez admitted he regrets it. “I think if I would have taken the stand, the verdict would have definitely been very different.” His appeal of the felony convictions and ten-year prison sentence was denied last month, but his legal team plans to file more appeals soon.

Lanez’s lawyer, Crystal Morgan, told NBC News that key evidence, including Megan Thee Stallion’s medical records, wasn’t provided at the 2022 trial. “Perhaps we could have questioned the doctors differently when they were on the stand,” she said. “It does look suspicious.” The bullet fragments removed from Megan’s foot in 2020 were addressed in the November appeal.

“I believe not only that I was wrongfully convicted, but the amount of new evidence that has emerged since that trial, I think, has been overwhelming,” Lanez said.

Life in prison has been rough. “I never imagined myself dealing with things that I would have to deal with,” he said. “I’ve been stabbed 17 times, almost lost my life.” He also said he’s trying to stay strong: “I’ve tried my best to keep my head above water.”

Asked about Megan Thee Stallion, Lanez said he wouldn’t speak to her directly. “I would like that moment to happen in person,” he explained. “We’ve both gone through a lot. There’s this connotation that, like, I share this hatred for her, but I don’t. I’m genuinely past that. I’m at a place of healing in my life. I’m at a place of taking accountability for the things that I did wrong. And when I talk about my case, I don’t want it to be taken as me coming at her. Because it’s not that. I’m just asking for somebody in the system to look at my case and look at the evidence and ask if this was fair.”

Megan Thee Stallion’s team has pushed back against online misinformation. Her lawyer, Alex Spiro, called the rumors “garbage” spread by “nonsense bloggers.” Last year, Megan filed a lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz, claiming she spread falsehoods about Megan on social media “on behalf” of Lanez. Her team also shared the evidence used to convict Lanez after unfounded claims suggested otherwise.

Tory Lanez’s prison interview offers a glimpse into his world behind bars, his regrets, and his hope that the legal system will take another look at his case.