After releasing “Rumors,” her new single made in collaboration with Cardi B, Lizzo took to Instagram live to tearfully open up about hurtful comments directed at her.
“On the days when I should feel the happiest, it just – I feel so down,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back. It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still gonna have people who have something mean to say about you.”
The 33-year-old singer mentioned that audiences don’t have to like her music, but attacks about her appearance are unnecessary. “People saying sh*t about me that just doesn’t even make sense,” she said. “It’s fatphobic, it’s racist, and it’s hurtful.”
Lizzo also talked about the treatment black women are subjected to in the industry. “What I won’t accept is y’all doing this to Black women over and over and over again, especially us big Black girls,” she asserted. “When we don’t fit into the box that you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred onto us. It’s not cool.”
Rapper Cardi B came to her collaborator’s defense, tweeting: “When you stand up for yourself they claim your (sic) problematic & sensitive. When you don’t they tear you apart until you crying like this. Whether you skinny, big, plastic, they going to always try to put their insecurities on you.”
She also added that the pair’s new single was doing “great,” and that it’s reached the Top 10 on all platforms. “Stop trying to say the song is flopping to dismiss a woman emotions on bullying or acting like they need sympathy. Body shaming and callin her mammy is mean & racist as fuck,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper stated.
Lizzo has since received support from other celebrities like Octavia Spencer and Stacey Abrams. She remains positive about her career, despite the negativity.
“I’m not making music for anybody. I’m a Black woman making music,” she said. “Everyone is invited to a Lizzo show, to a Lizzo song. To this good energy. Everyone is invited.”
