What happened to Lizzo's career?

Since the release of her fifth album in early June, pop star Lizzo has been through a particularly turbulent period.

After achieving impressive success with hits like "Truth Hurts" and "About Damn Time," his latest work was released disappointingly: It reportedly had less than a million streams on Spotify in the first 24 hours after release, sold less than 3,000 copies in its first week, according to Rolling Stone, and failed to crack the Billboard 200 in its first two weeks.

Once ubiquitous in pop culture-both for her full embrace of self-love and body positivity and her catchy anthems-Lizzo has now been relegated to "what happened to her?" status.

On social media, the 38-year-old pop singer offered her own theories about why her provocatively titled album "Bitch" is failing to resonate, while also appearing to hit back at her critics. "The way social media works today, based on algorithms, is destroying the music industry," she said in a TikTok posted on May 12, when explaining why some people might not have even known she would release a new album just a few weeks later. "If your algorithm keeps showing things out of order, the general public has no idea when a song is actually being released."

But lots of other people have opinions too.

Noelle Rodriguez - Courtesy Noelle Rodriguez via CNN Newsource
"It was never our intention to bring down a woman of color," said Noelle Rodriguez, one of three dancers who filed suit against Lizzo in 2023, a moment that profoundly challenged the singer's public image. "It was never an intention to specifically take down a large-bodied woman of color."

Rodriguez and her co-plaintiffs - Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams - brought allegations of sexual harassment, body shaming and a hostile work environment against Lizzo, as well as her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and a person described as a "dance cast captain."

The three women have not spoken about the lawsuit against Lizzo beyond interviews given when it was initially filed in August 2023, and they recently sat down to speak exclusively with CNN.

They follow this moment with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they feel disappointed and traumatized after what they allege happened after they were hired for a job they considered important, especially because they are women with larger bodies. On the other hand, they say they are determined to see the case through to the end.

They insist that their intention was not to harm their former boss, but rather to hold her accountable for the values she publicly demonstrated she defended. "I really don't think it's our place to discuss or even have an opinion on where her career is at this point, because that was never the reason we filed the lawsuit in the first place," Rodriguez said. "It was never a campaign to smear her. It was never to bring anyone down. I think if anything, looking back, I feel a certain amount of sadness that it had an impact on her career."

Lizzo's attorney, Melissa Glass, said in a statement that the allegations made in the lawsuit "have no basis in fact."

"Not a single witness has come forward to support their allegations," the statement said. "In fact, his claims were refuted by 18 witnesses, including most of the other dancers on 'The Special Tour'." Glass added: "We are confident that Lizzo will win the lawsuit."

Lizzo also has other defenders.

Chawnta' Van, who began dancing with Lizzo in 2019 and worked with the three women who filed the lawsuit, said she felt "blindsided" and "heartbroken" by the accusations as she believed everyone on the tour "was in this together, but apparently not."

After the lawsuit was filed, Van said plans for all future performances with Lizzo were completely halted. "As dancers, we are the lowest paid. We work from one temp job to the next, literally," said Van, who was put in touch with CNN by Lizzo's lawyers. "So when all of this came to light and everything got cancelled, it was really, really hard."

A new moment
When Lizzo emerged in 2019, she seemed to herald - or at least symbolize - a new moment. Here was an artist of enormous musical talent and personal charisma, living an unapologetically authentic life - and being celebrated for it. As a black woman with a large body, she has inspired millions of people - and has also seen her body unfairly used to fuel debates on current issues.

She faced enormous scrutiny - and reacted in kind, like when she was unfazed by criticism of her butt-baring outfit that caused a stir at a Lakers game in 2019. "It really doesn't matter what happens on the internet; nothing takes away my joy," she said at the time. "I'm a very grounded, grounded person, and I know I'm shocking people because it's been a long time since you've seen a body like mine doing what it wants to do, dressing the way it wants to dress, and moving the way it wants to move."

The allegations in the lawsuit - which include accusations that dancers felt pressured to attend nude performances and interact with performers - contrast with Lizzo's public image and message.

Crystal Willaims - Courtesy Crystal Williams via CNN Newsource
"I feel like her whole brand, other than body positivity, was positivity in general - encouraging women, especially women of color, and just, you know, treating each other with kindness, treating yourself with kindness," Williams said in an interview. "Her whole message and platform and brand was the exact opposite when the doors closed, when we were in private meetings."

Lizzo denied the allegations. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, she posted a statement on social media calling the allegations "false" and "as unbelievable as they sound." "I know what it's like to feel ashamed of your body every day and I would never criticize or fire an employee because of their weight," he wrote.

In the three years since the lawsuit was filed, the action has progressed slowly, with both sides exchanging documents and resources, according to Ron Zambrano, lawyer for the three women, in an interview. Last year, a judge dismissed the body shaming allegations after a request from Lizzo's team, who argued that events such as going to nude shows were protected by free speech as part of the creative process. Zambrano and her clients are currently awaiting a California Court of Appeals date to present their oral arguments.

In an interview with the "Today" show, Lizzo said she refused a settlement in the lawsuit because "I'm a woman who isn't afraid of the truth coming out, so I'm going to keep fighting."

Changing climate
Many fans were surprised by the process and, after that, the singer took a break from social media. When she reappeared in 2024, she was thinner but still happy to show off her body, first in a sheer black and white Jean Paul Gaultier dress and then on social media.

The same year, Lizzo said in a video posted on social media that she was no longer vegan, after discovering that adding things like cupped egg whites and grilled chicken helped make her feel better and achieve her weight loss goals.

She also recorded a version of the "Baby Back Ribs" jingle for Chili's, appearing in an advertisement playing a rib-shaped flute.

The change was remarkable. In an essay published on Substack in 2025, Lizzo wrote that she began losing weight in 2023 after becoming "the target of a vicious scandal" that left her depressed. "I needed a way to process my pain through my body, so I started Pilates," she wrote.

"I was sick and tired of my identity being overshadowed by my fatness. People couldn't see my talent as a musician because they were too busy accusing me of making 'being fat' my entire personality," she wrote. "I know my story is not unique. I know that larger-bodied women, especially larger-bodied women of color, have had this working against them for a long time."

During a recent appearance on the "In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele" podcast, Lizzo criticized celebrities who she said had lost too much weight, which to some felt like a "weight loss for me, but not for you" moment from a woman who has long complained about other people commenting on her body. "I have no criticism of the artists or these people who are losing all this weight, as much as I have criticism of the system that convinced them that their bodies weren't good enough."

For the women suing Lizzo, the seemingly defiant woman who sometimes says and does things that seem to contradict her public image is exactly the person they knew.

"It wasn't the weight loss that caused her to abandon her fans. She kind of abandoned them from the beginning," Williams said. "You're starting to see that a little more, but that's who she's been since day one, unfortunately. So I don't think that's anything new. That's her genuine personality at the center and at the heart."

"One tricky thing about Lizzo is that Lizzo has really made her body size part of her brand," said Tigress Osborn, executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). She also highlighted the fact that Lizzo is a black woman. "What Lizzo got was the magical black friend dynamic," Osborn said. "That Hollywood cliché about the magical black friend who will make your life greater by inspiring you and helping you."

Now Lizzo not only has an accusation of weight-related embarrassment in her past, but she has also stopped being as deeply relatable to the plus-sized community following her body transformation. "If you want your fans to relate to you as a person, then you need to be a person, not a brand," Osborn said, making it clear that people have the right to be whatever size they want. "If you want your fans to relate to you as a brand, then brand loyalty ends when the brand changes."

Having worked with Lizzo since 2020, keyboardist Lynette Williams said the weight loss happened because the singer "simply wants to be healthier."

Lynette Williams, who also has a great body and was also referred to CNN by Lizzo's lawyer, added: "It's not about trying to fit in with what society thinks." She also believes the lawsuit played a bigger role in the low sales of Lizzo's most recent work. Regarding the song itself on the album, she said: "I think it's amazing."

Destroyed dreams
Watching Lizzo's return has been distressing for the three plaintiffs in the lawsuit. They say they didn't choose to listen to her music. The three dancers were overjoyed when they joined Lizzo's group, excited to show that "big women" had the moves to match their curves.

Arianna Davis - Courtesy Arianna Davis via CNN Newsource
Davis said dancing for Lizzo - her "first professional dance job right out of the gate" - was her "dream job." "I thought: This is incredible," he said. "And then to see the actions play out the way they did was really devastating."

Like Crystal Williams, Davis had been a contestant on Lizzo's Amazon reality show, "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," which centered on the star's search for big-bodied dancers for her tour. Rodriguez was a more experienced dancer and had appeared in the 2021 music video for Lizzo's single "Rumors."

The events of recent years have impacted their careers. They care about their reputations. Rodriguez, who has started focusing more on acting, said he is considering going back to school and studying law because of the experience. Crystal Williams said that, like her former employer, they want the facts to be heard.

"We want a chance and an opportunity for her to be held accountable. We want the facts to come out, we want the evidence to come out," she said. "We want to be able to address the truth as much as she wants. So we're ready to take this to the end."

Lizzo clarifies message about ending career: "I'm not going to give up"

Source: CNN