Nike scrambles to distance itself from Lil Nas X's 'Satan Shoes,' which contain human blood


Nike is running away from Lil Nas X's new Satan-themed sneakers as fast as possible.
The company noted it has nothing to do with the "Old Town Road" rapper's controversial new "Satan Shoes" that are being sold on Monday, Nike Air Max 97s that actually contain a drop of human blood in the sole, NBC News reports. The shoes also feature a pentagram pendant and say "Luke 10:18," referencing a Bible verse about Satan.
"We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF," Nike said, per NBC. "Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The streetwear company MSCHF is selling 666 pairs of these "Satan Shoes" on Monday for $1,018 following the release of Lil Nas X's latest music video, which depicts him going to hell. MSCHF previously put out "Jesus Shoes" containing holy water in the sole, according to NBC. Apparently, six MSCHF employees donated the blood to be used for the sole of the Satan Shoes, which was mixed with ink, according to The New York Times.
"Not much blood, actually," Daniel Greenberg, one of the founders of MSCHF, told the Times. "About six of us on the team gave." When asked who collected the blood, exactly, Greenberg simply told the Times, "Uhhhhhh yeah hahah not medical professionals we did it ourselves lol."
As the Satan Shoes stirred up some controversy online, Lil Nas X uploaded a YouTube video with the title "Lil Nas X Apologizes for Satan Shoe" — in which he actually does no such thing, instead just cutting to a clip from his "Montero" music video of himself giving Satan a lap dance.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year