Lizzo has opened up about the emotional impact of the public backlash she faced in 2023, recalling that she felt her “life was over” after criticism and allegations involving former members of her touring team.
The singer, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, discussed the period during an appearance on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast on Monday 7 September 2026. She said the experience prompted her to step away from making music after completing The Special Tour in July 2023.
The comments come three years after three of Lizzo’s former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against the singer, her production company and dance captain Shirlene Quigley. The dancers alleged they had been subjected to sexual, religious and racial harassment, among other claims. The case remains pending.
Lizzo recalls the moment everything changed
Looking back on the period, Lizzo said the intensity of the public reaction was difficult to comprehend after years of being embraced by audiences.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, this feels like my life is over,’”
She explained that her experience of fame had largely been shaped by positive public perception before the backlash.
“And so, with the fame thing and the success and the public perception being super positive and being overly loved and people understanding me, I wasn’t looking over my shoulder for a shoe to drop because I really genuinely was moving so purely.”
Lizzo said she had also made a conscious decision to be open with the public about who she was.
“I really, which they say you shouldn’t do, just really showed the whole world my heart.”
The singer said the backlash became particularly difficult because music had been such a central part of her identity.
“I really did feel like my life was over”
Lizzo said she had experienced criticism before, but described the reaction following the end of The Special Tour as something on an entirely different level.
“When everybody started hating me, I kind of didn’t understand… I had experienced little waves of it, but this time after my (Special Tour) ended, it was, like, legitimate.”
She continued:
“So, I really did feel like my life was over because music had been my life, and I didn’t feel like anyone wanted me to make music anymore.”
The singer described the emotional impact as particularly difficult.
“It was really heavy. It’s really heavy.”
Lizzo said the experience ultimately forced her to confront a deeper question about how she defined herself.
“And I think you have to kind of go to a very, very, very, very low place to be able to kind of float back up to the top.”
Lizzo says she now separates who she is from what she does
Despite describing the period as one of the lowest points of her career, Lizzo said she now has a different perspective on her identity and her relationship with music.
“You know, what I came to is knowing who you are and not what you do.”
She explained that she had previously allowed her career to become too closely tied to her sense of identity.
“I feel like I had been identifying myself as what I do for so long, instead of remembering who I am because that’s my job.”
Lizzo said separating her identity from her profession ultimately became liberating.
“It was extremely freeing because I’m like, ‘Oh, only I know me, only I know who I am and I need to remember that and not allow someone to change that because I can do that too.’”
The singer has since returned to public-facing projects and is currently promoting her children’s book, Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin’, illustrated by Mark Pett.
The book is now available, as Lizzo continues to explore projects outside of music while reflecting on the experience that caused her to step back from recording.
