‘She has thrown these tantrums before’. The legal conversation happening around Lizzo’s 'I quit' statement.

In some good (as hell) news for Lizzo fans, the singer has clarified she isn't giving up music after spontaneously announcing she was 'quitting' umm... something, over the weekend. 

"When I say I quit, I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention," Lizzo shared in a video post Wednesday morning. "What I’m not gonna quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting to people."

Despite Lizzo's random 'I quit' post, she has since decided to not let the 'negative voices' triumph over what she loves to do. "If I can just give one person the inspiration or motivation to stand up for themselves and say they quit letting negative people win, negative comments win then I’ve done even more than I could have hoped for," she said. 

"I’m going to keep moving forward, I’m gonna keep being me."

The video followed a much more defeated Lizzo sharing a statement over the weekend which concluded with "I didn't sign up for this s**t. I quit." 

Read Lizzo's original post below:

Image: Instagram/@lizzobeeating. 

The response to the initial 'I quit' post from fans, famous friends and online commenters was mixed. 

"NOOOO! I f**king love you," Celeste Barber wrote. "We love you Queen," added Paris Hilton. 

But not all the responses were supportive. "This sounds heavily narcissistic," posted one commenter. "On behalf of everyone, we DON'T CARE," wrote one user, with the comment liked over four thousand times.

Once a heavily stanned and beloved celebrity, the tide is clearly turning on the 'Truth Hurts' singer. 

Listen to The Spill's hosts dissect Lizzo's 'I quit' announcement. Post continues after the podcast.

So what exactly is happening behind the scenes? Ugh, a lot.

From Lizzo's first step into the music scene, she's been the subject of fat-shaming and online ridicule. After being positioned as the queen of the body-positivity movement (a title she never asked for), Lizzo became vulnerable to an especially heinous fringe of the internet (*cough* men *cough*) dedicated to trolling confident women who weren't conventionally thin. 

In the resignation post, Lizzo noted how she was tired of "being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet" and being the "butt of the joke" about her looks.

Lizzo has largely grinned and bared the criticism, continuing to make chart-topping music, has won four Grammy awards, and embarked on an international tour last year. 

But in the last few months, Lizzo faced a different level of public scrutiny. 

In August 2023, she was struck with a lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers for fostering a hostile work environment. In the lawsuit, ex-dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez claimed Lizzo, her production company, and her dance captain had subjected them to alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination and weight-shaming. 

At the time, Lizzo released a statement to deny the dancers' claims as 'outrageous'.

"I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days," Lizzo wrote. "I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not."

She continued "I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight." 

Lizzo on 'The Special Tour' in 2023. Image: Getty. 

Then in September 2023, she was named in a second lawsuit filed by her former tour stylist for overseeing a hostile work environment. The plaintiff accused Lizzo and supervisors of Big Grrl Big Touring of sexual and racial harassment, disability discrimination, retaliation and assault. 

In response, a representative for Lizzo released a statement calling the lawsuit an "absurd publicity stunt," adding that they "will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None."

But the damage was already done with the combination and ferocity of the lawsuits doing undeniable damage to Lizzo's reputation as a beacon of positivity and self-love.

In the aftermath of Lizzo's ‘I quit’ Insta post, the dancers launching a lawsuit against Lizzo issued a statement about her post. 

"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," their attorney Ron Zambrano said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. 

"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."

Zambrano added that Lizzo has "thrown these childish tantrums before." 

Lizzo requested to have the lawsuit dismissed in October with the singer partially succeeding as the judge rejected several of the allegations in February 2024.

A spokesperson for Lizzo, Stefan Friedman, responded to Zambrano in a statement given to Billboard. "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. We would humbly recommend that Ron start representing his clients and stop representing just himself."

The court case is expected to take place later this year. 

In the meantime, Lizzo is still posting videos and photos of herself modeling her brand Yitty's swimwear and shapewear in a partnership with Fabletics.

Lizzo's recent social media activity isn't the first time the singer has had an outburst at her critics. In May 2023, Lizzo threatened to leave the music industry due to the constant body-shaming comments on social media. 

"Minding your business is free," she wrote at the time. 

"I will never shut up about how difficult y’all make it for fat people to simply exist." 

Feature image: Getty.