Last week, Lizzo said “I quit” — but only four days later, the Truth Hurts singer changed her tune and explained she would not be leaving the music industry.
On Tuesday, Lizzo, 35, posted a video to Instagram to “clarify” the meaning of her earlier statement.
“When I say I quit, I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention,” the four-time Grammy winner said. “What I’m not going to quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting to people.”
Lizzo’s fans were surprised on March 29 when the singer, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, posted a written statement to Instagram saying she was “tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet.”
Lizzo launched to international fame with the release of her 2019 album Cuz I Love You and has long since positioned herself as a champion for body positivity and equality. The singer’s brand took a major hit last year when several of her backup dancers filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and creation of a hostile work environment.
“I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views… being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look…my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name,” Lizzo initially wrote. “I didn’t sign up for this s—t — I quit.”
In Tuesday’s follow-up video, Lizzo said she made the statement because the “negative voice” surrounding her, as well as her work, often seems to be “louder” than the positive.
Wearing a blue swimsuit from her shapewear brand Yitty and matching blue eyeshadow, Lizzo said she hopes her “I quit” statement inspires at least one other person to also cut out negativity from their life.
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“I’m going to keep moving forward. I’m going to keep being me,” she said.
Lizzo thanked her fans for their support and said the love she receives “means more than you know.”
‘No one actually believes she is quitting music’
Though many of Lizzo’s fans supported the singer’s positivity-only mindset, others felt her “I quit” statement was made to intentionally mislead.
Lawyer Ron Zambrano, representing the three dancers suing Lizzo, called Lizzo’s “I quit” comment “just another outburst seeking attention.”
“It’s a joke that Lizzo would say she is being bullied by the internet when she should instead be taking an honest look at herself,” Zambrano said in a lengthy statement to Billboard. “Her latest post is just another outburst seeking attention and trying to deflect from her own failings as she continues to blame everyone else for the predicament she is in. Lizzo’s legal and public relations strategy is a failure, so she is desperately trying to play the victim.”
“No one actually believes she is quitting music. But she should quit sexually harassing, shaming and bullying her employees and finally accept responsibility for her actions,” he continued.
“She can make all of this go away simply by seizing the opportunity here to set an example, own up to her mistakes, pay what’s due to those she’s wronged and work on becoming a better person,” Zambrano said.
Zambrano likened Lizzo’s “celebrity toxicity” to Diddy (who has been accused of sex trafficking) and Dan Schneider (the ex-Nickelodeon producer accused of inappropriate on-set behaviour).
“There is no more safe place in society for this sort of behavior as the entire industry is in for a reckoning for permitting such vile treatment of employees in the workplace,” Zambrano concluded.
Lizzo has staunchly denied all allegations against her.
She earlier petitioned the courts in Los Angeles to dismiss the dancers’ lawsuit, but the motion was denied in February.
A statement from her spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, branded Zambrano’s comments a “wild personal attack.”
“With nearly half his case dismissed, 18 independent witnesses siding with Lizzo and no settlement on the way to get him his tasty contingency fee, Ron has started making wild personal attacks that have absolutely nothing to do with the clients who he is supposedly representing,” the rep said. “We would humbly recommend that Ron start representing his clients and stop representing just himself.”
Lizzo has also requested a second lawsuit — filed by a stylist alleging bullying and sexual and racial harassment by the singer — be dismissed, though a decision has yet to be made.
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