It’s not a stretch to say Lizzo’s career has had its share of ups and downs over the last several years. Three years after her “About Damn Time” was the #1 song in the US, she recently returned with several singles that failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. More notably, Lizzo faced several lawsuits in 2023 for alleged sexual harassment and other claims, which she’s since addressed publicly. (At least one of the lawsuits is still ongoing.)
“I’ve been canceled a lot,” she said. “I shouldn’t say I’ve been canceled, because I’m still going, but I’ve gotten backlash a lot. Literally every single time I’ve received backlash I use it as a growing and learning lesson.”
In the interview, Lizzo also reflected on the backlash she faced after her song “Good As Hell” appeared in a Weight Watchers commercial in 2019, shortly after Oprah Winfrey bought the company.
“It was like, ‘Oprah wants to use your song,’ I lost my mind,” she recalled feeling at the time. “I was like, ‘Oh my god Oprah knows who I am!’ I was like, ‘Yes! Yes.'”
“I remember posting the commercial because I was so proud and everybody was like, ‘You’re fucking joking right, like this is promoting eating disorders. And I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It broke my heart. It truly broke my heart.”
If I may, for a moment: Being in the public eye seems miserable, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, really. That said! If you are appearing on a podcast talking about how you’ve been “canceled” — especially after you’re still signed to a major label that releases your music, and you’re booking promising film roles — I think it’s well worth examining if being “canceled” is even a thing.
Anyway, whatever. You can listen to the entire episode with Lizzo here.