Lizzo has explained what she meant when she declared ‘I QUIT’ in a social media post, clarifying that it doesn’t mean she is quitting music.
At the weekend, the artist took to social media to hit back against “being dragged by everyone in my life”, which some interpreted to mean that she was contemplating walking away from the music industry.
“I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” she wrote. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little bit better than how I found it.
“But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it. I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout and views… being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look.. my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name.”
She concluded: “I didn’t sign up for this – I QUIT.”
Now, Lizzo has revisited her comments and made it clear what she was trying to say.
“I wanted to make this video because I just need to clarify [that] when I say ‘I quit’, I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention. What I’m not gonna quit, is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting the people, ’cause I know I’m not alone.
“In no way, shape or form am I the only person who is experiencing that but those voices seem to be louder than the positive [ones].
“If I could just give one person the inspiration or the 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.
“With that being said, I’m going to keep moving forward, I’m gonna keep being me. Once again, I just wanna say thank you. The love that I’ve received means more than you know.”
Earlier today, the dancers who are suing Lizzo for sexual harassment have responded to her recent announcement that she’s “quitting”, calling it a “joke”.
Their lawyer Ron Zambrano told Entertainment Weekly: “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.”
“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,” he continued. “Lizzo’s legal and public relations strategy is a failure, so she is desperately trying to play the victim.”
Zambrano also alleged that the pop star had “thrown these childish tantrums before,” finally claiming that “no one actually believes she is quitting music.”
In response, a representative for Lizzo, Stefan Friedman, told Entertainment Weekly: “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 message comes after Lizzo’s request to dismiss her upcoming sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit was denied by a judge in February. Lizzo was originally sued in August 2023, having been accused of creating a hostile work environment and sexual harassment at a strip club in Amsterdam.
In response, Lizzo said she was “hurt” and called the allegations “false”. Since the first lawsuit, lawyers have reviewed more complaints from other backup dancers. Lizzo was also named in a new lawsuit from a former hairstylist in September, which she further moved to dismiss.
Lizzo’s first lawsuit has now been ruled to go ahead in its entirety towards a trial. Though her lawyers initially filed to dismiss the lawsuit “in its entirety” in September 2023 under California’s anti-SLAPP statute (“strategic lawsuits against public participation”), an LA judge ruled that the lawsuit did not fit into anti-SLAPP legislation.