What Happened to Megan Thee Stallion?
The Rise: Houston's Hottie
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete - born February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, raised in Houston - gained recognition after videos of her freestyling went viral on social media. After signing with 1501 Certified Entertainment, she released the mixtape Fever (2019) and the EP Suga (2020), both top-ten Billboard 200 hits, with the singles "Cash Shit," "Hot Girl Summer" and "Savage" making her rap's breakout star.
Her debut studio album Good News (2020) included the "Savage" remix featuring Beyonce, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammy Awards. In 2021, she featured on Cardi B's "WAP," her second US number-one. At the 63rd Grammys, she became the second female rapper ever to win Best New Artist (after Lauryn Hill). With six BET Awards, three Grammys and a Time 100 nod, Megan - "Tina Snow," "Hot Girl Meg" - was the defining female rapper of her generation by 2020.
Then, in July 2020, everything changed: after a party at Kylie Jenner's house, Megan was shot in the feet. She initially protected the shooter; months later she named him: Canadian rapper Tory Lanez.
The Shooting and the Trial
On July 12, 2020, Megan was shot in both feet following an argument in an SUV with Tory Lanez (Daystar Peterson). She required surgery to remove bullet fragments. For months she faced vicious online harassment - accused of lying, mocked for her trauma - in a case that became a referendum on believing Black women.
In December 2022, Lanez stood trial in Los Angeles. Megan testified emotionally about the shooting and its aftermath. On December 23, 2022, a jury convicted Lanez on all three counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The trial was a cultural watershed - covered wall-to-wall, debated endlessly online - and Megan emerged vindicated but scarred. She spoke about the mental health toll, the betrayal by peers who sided with Lanez, and her determination to keep going. "I don't want to be called a victim," she said. "I want to be called a survivor."
The Label War
Parallel to the trial, Megan fought a brutal legal battle with her first label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and its CEO Carl Crawford. She alleged the label blocked her releases, took the lion's share of her earnings, and tried to sabotage her career - claims the label denied. The dispute kept her music in limbo and forced her to release projects under constrained terms.
Her 2022 album Traumazine - featuring the hits "Sweetest Pie" (with Dua Lipa) and "Plan B" - was, she said, released to fulfill her contractual obligations, and she expressed frustration that the label underpromoted it. The battle stretched into 2023, with lawsuits and countersuits, before Megan finally won her independence.
Freed, she launched her own company, Hot Girl Productions, in partnership with Warner Music Group - becoming one of the few major female rappers to own her masters pipeline. It was a declaration: no more label wars, no more middlemen. Megan would control Megan.
The Comeback: Megan (2024) and Act II
Independent at last, Megan released her self-titled third album Megan in June 2024 - a defiant, sharp-tongued statement of autonomy. Its second single, "Hiss," debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 - her first solo chart-topper - and made her the first solo female rapper to debut at number one on the Billboard Global 200. The snake-themed rollout (a pointed response to her haters) was a triumph.
She followed with Megan: Act II in October 2024, a deluxe expansion, and launched the Hot Girl Summer Tour - rebranded the Chicas Divertidas Tour - her first headlining arena run, which sold strongly. Her documentary, Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words (October 2024), offered an intimate look at her grief (her mother Holly Thomas, her manager and guiding force, died of a brain tumor in 2019), the shooting, the trial and her rebirth.
By the end of 2024, the narrative had flipped: the victim of 2020 was the victor of 2024 - independent, chart-topping, touring arenas, and utterly in control.
Where She Is Now in 2026
In 2026, Megan Thee Stallion remains one of hip-hop's premier stars - a Grammy winner, a business owner, and a cultural force. Through Hot Girl Productions she has expanded into television and brand partnerships, while her music continues to set the tone for rap's mainstream.
She has become an outspoken advocate for Black women's protection - her 2020 New York Times op-ed, "Why I Speak Up for Black Women," is now taught as a landmark text - and for mental health, speaking openly about therapy after the shooting and her mother's death. Her commencement-adjacent milestones (she graduated from Texas Southern University with a health administration degree in 2021, fulfilling a promise to her late mother and grandmother) added depth to the Hot Girl persona.
The Tory Lanez saga closed with his imprisonment; the label war closed with her independence; the comeback closed with "Hiss" at number one. What happened to Megan Thee Stallion? She survived all of it - and came out the other side owning everything.
Legacy: The Hot Girl Who Wouldn't Break
Megan's story is now one of resilience as much as rap: a 25-year-old shot and mocked who became, by 30, an independent mogul with three Grammys, multiple number-ones and her own company. Her flow - rapid, witty, commanding - influenced a generation of female rappers, and her business moves (owning her label pipeline) set a template.
From viral freestyles to the witness stand to the top of the Hot 100, Megan Thee Stallion's arc from 2019 to 2026 is the defining female-rap story of the era - proof that talent plus tenacity can outlast trauma, trials and label wars alike.
The Documentary: In Her Words
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words (October 2024) is the definitive document of her crucible years. Directed with intimate access, it traces her grief over her mother Holly Thomas - her manager, who died of a brain tumor in March 2019 - through the shooting, the trial and her rebirth as an independent artist.
The film's power is its rawness: Megan discussing suicidal thoughts after her mother's death, the betrayal of peers during the trial, and her decision to keep going. Critics praised its honesty - a superstar refusing to sanitize her pain. It reframed her public image from party rapper to survivor-artist.
Released alongside Megan: Act II, the documentary completed her 2024 victory lap: album, tour, film - the full reclamation of her narrative, in her words.
Advocacy and the Business of Being Megan
Beyond music, Megan has become a generational voice. Her 2020 New York Times op-ed "Why I Speak Up for Black Women" - written after the shooting - is now a landmark text on misogynoir, taught in courses and cited in activism. She has partnered with mental health organizations, speaking openly about therapy.
Her business portfolio spans fashion (Nike, Coach, Revlon deals), her Hot Girl Productions empire, and television development. She graduated from Texas Southern University in 2021 with a health administration degree - fulfilling a promise to her late mother and grandmother - and has spoken of opening assisted-living facilities.
The throughline: a woman who converts pain into power, systematically. The shooting could have ended her; instead it forged her - into an owner, an advocate, and rap's most resilient star.
The Texas Southern Degree
In December 2021, Megan graduated from Texas Southern University with a bachelor's degree in health administration - fulfilling a promise to her late mother Holly Thomas and grandmother, both of whom prized education. She'd studied throughout her rap ascent, taking classes between tours and recording sessions.
The degree was deeply personal: her mother managed her career until her 2019 death from a brain tumor, and Megan has said finishing school honored her mother's belief that she needed something beyond music. She's spoken of opening assisted-living facilities - a long-term plan rooted in her studies.
The graduation photos - cap, gown, Hot Girl pride - became iconic: the rap superstar as college graduate, proving the freestyle queen was also the family's scholar.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Megan Thee Stallion?
In July 2020 she was shot in the feet by Tory Lanez. She testified at his December 2022 trial; he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in 2023. She then won her label battle, launched Hot Girl Productions, and released the albums Megan (2024) and Megan: Act II (2024).
Who shot Megan Thee Stallion?
Canadian rapper Tory Lanez (Daystar Peterson). A Los Angeles jury convicted him in December 2022 on three firearm charges, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023.
What is Megan Thee Stallion doing in 2026?
She remains a top rap star running her own Hot Girl Productions company, touring, releasing music and expanding into television and brand partnerships.
What was Megan Thee Stallion's first number-one solo song?
Hiss (2024), from her self-titled album Megan. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the first solo female rapper to debut atop the Billboard Global 200.
How many Grammys does Megan Thee Stallion have?
Three, including Best New Artist at the 63rd Grammy Awards - only the second female rapper ever to win it - plus two for the Savage remix with Beyonce.
What happened with Megan Thee Stallion's record label?
She fought a multi-year legal battle with 1501 Certified Entertainment over releases and earnings, won her independence, and launched Hot Girl Productions with Warner Music Group.
Did Megan Thee Stallion graduate college?
Yes - she earned a bachelor's degree in health administration from Texas Southern University in 2021, fulfilling a promise to her late mother.
Sources
- Megan Thee Stallion - WikipediaWikipedia
- AP News - Tory Lanez trialAssociated Press
- Billboard - Megan Thee StallionBillboard