For Lizzo, it doesn’t feel good as hell to receive backlash.
As the Grammy winner recently explained, while she’s used to being the subject of harsh criticism, she’s learning to take it with grace.
“I’ve been cancelled a lot,” she said on the May 14 episode of Therapuss with Jake Shane. “I shouldn’t say I’ve been cancelled, because I’m still going, but I’ve gotten backlash a lot.”
She added, “Literally every single time I’ve received backlash I use it as a growing and learning lesson.”
For the “Juice” singer, her first experience facing backlash stemmed from syncing her song “Good as Hell” to Weight Watchers after Oprah Winfrey bought the company.
“It was like, ‘Oprah wants to use your song,’” Lizzo recalled. “I lost my mind. I was like, ‘Oh my god Oprah knows who I am!’ I was like, ‘Yes! Yes.’”
Though her emotions quickly took a turn. “I remember posting the commercial because I was so proud and everybody was like, ‘You’re f–king joking right, like this is promoting eating disorders,’” she told Jake. “And I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It broke my heart. It truly broke my heart.”
Lizzo’s latest admission comes shortly after speaking out on her battle with depression, which led her to take a break from performing.
“About a year and a half ago, I was in such a dark, deep depression,” Lizzo said onstage in March. “I was so heartbroken by the world.”
Her break from performing also came after three of her Special tour dancers filed a lawsuit against her, accusing her of sexual harassment, weight-shaming and disability discrimination. A month later, her wardrobe stylist Asha Daniels filed a separate lawsuit against her, alleging racial and sexual harassment.
The accusations “blindsided” the singer, who denied all claims, telling Keke Palmer on the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast in December 2024, “I did nothing wrong, so I have no regrets.”
Ultimately, her “gap year” from performing allowed her to take some time to focus on herself, which included a physical transformation. She noted that while she’s lost weight, she’s “actually gained so much.”
“I’ve gained a sense of self,” she explained in April on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. “I’ve gained a lifestyle that I actually really love.”
For more on Lizzo’s transformation, read on…
Taking a Step Back
Lizzo has shared that she’s been in on “intentional weight release journey” since 2023.
She had also faced a lawsuit that year, filed by several of her former backup dancers who accused her of creating a “hostile, abusive work environment” and weight-shaming, accusations she vehemently denied.
“With passion comes hard work and high standards,” she wrote on Instagram. “Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”
“I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis, she continued, “and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
In between albums at the time, the “About Damn Time” artist announced in August 2024 that she was taking “a gap year & protecting my peace.”
Learning How to Love Me
Lizzo admittedly has her ups and downs when it comes to her body.
“I’m not going to lie and say I love my body every day,” she told The New York Times in April 2024. “The bottom line is, the way you feel about your body changes every single day. There are some days I adore my body, and others when I don’t feel completely positive.”
Looking Good as Hell No Matter What
In a Sept. 18, 2024, TikTok, Lizzo posted her own before and after, showing herself in a black two-piece before the video cut to her in a gray bodysuit.
As she captioned the clip, “Fine both ways.”
Dust Your Shoulders Off, Keep It Moving
“When you finally get Ozempic allegations after 5 months of weight training and calorie deficit,” Lizzo quipped via Instagram Sept. 20.
That Power Looks So Good on Her
The Grammy winner stepped out for lunch at Nobu Sept. 27 wearing a sheer black and white dress by Jean Paul Gaultier with a black bodysuit. She topped the look with a leather trenchcoat draped on her shoulders, large silver hoop earrings and black sunglasses.
Nobody’s Perfect
“I overate yesterday, and I’m feeling really bad about it,” she shared in a Sept. 30, 2024, TikTok while detailing the ups and downs of her journey. “I’m trying to remind myself that my body needs that nourishment and if my body deserves comfort then my brain deserves comfort too.”
She’s Her Own Inspiration
The singer has been all about TikTok fitspo, including one that explained how she pushes through workouts.
“I was doing Stairmaster today, and I was doing a higher level than normal,” the sweat-drenched star explained in October 2024, noting that in order to avoid quitting early, she dropped down to a lower speed. “Sometimes when you want to give up, it’s really just because you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. Don’t give up, just take it easier on yourself.”
Goooooal!!
“I did it,” Lizzo shared on Instagram Jan. 25, 2025. “Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal. I haven’t seen this number since 2014! Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to. Time for new goals!”
Hair Tossed, Checked Her Nails…
Lizzo looked hella good in Christian Siriano at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party March 2.
In Her Prime Time
Back in action as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live April 12, 2025.
Massaging the Numbers
On July 3, 2025, Lizzo shared a before-and-after from her first lymphatic massage with Flavia Lanini vs. her latest.
She credited the treatment, which targets specific areas to move excess fluid away from tissues and toward lymph vessels and nodes to flush out toxins, along with wood therapy, training three times a week, pickleball, dancing, drinking water, consuming less sugar and more protein, a monthly detox and various other lifestyle adjustments for her health transformation.
