Lizzo Says She Has a 'Very Toxic Relationship with the Internet' After Sexual Harassment, Assault Lawsuit

• During an appearance on Keke Palmer’s ‘Baby, This Is Keke Palmer’ podcast, Lizzo reflected on the social media hiatus she took in 2023.
• “Water Me” singer reveals she has a ‘very toxic relationship with the internet’
• She also talked about how losing 150,000 followers in one day affected her

Lizzo talks about her social media hiatus in 2023.

In an interview on Honey, this is Keke Palmer that aired Thursday, Dec. 19, the “Truth Hurts” singer opened up about her relationship with the Internet while breaking her silence on the sexual harassment and assault lawsuits she’s facing.

Palmer, 31, asked Lizzo, 36, how losing 150,000 followers in one day affected her. “I thought, Oh, wow. This is the part of fame that you unknowingly sign up for,” she said.

Lizzo continued: “People will just believe anything bad about you now because there’s something about being a famous person like people want to believe you’re a bad person and they can’t believe you’re actually boring and laid back and nice.”

Lizzo performs in Napa in May 2023.

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“But if you unfollowed me so quickly, were you even a fan?” she said, pointing out the reason she was doing the interview.

Lizzo said the interview was not “for the 150,000 people who unfollowed me.”

“I’m doing this interview for my fans who care about me, who stood by me and the people I wanted to talk to for so long,” she said.

Lizzo also talked about the social media hiatus she took from August 2023 to January 2024. “Everything you’ve seen is either someone on my team posted for me or I posted real quick and threw my phone away,” she explained.

The “Water Me” artist said she avoids the “jokes”, “memes” and “discourse” surrounding her online. “When I see things about myself now, or even if I see a word that looks like my name, I feel physically sick and I can’t take it. I have a very toxic relationship with the internet now,” Lizzo said.

Lizzo in New York in May 2022.

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She added: “So I stepped back, and it was very healthy for me. I suggest everyone do that. I’m not suggesting in these circumstances, but everyone should step back for a minute.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lizzo addressed the lawsuit filed against her by three former backup dancers. She said she was “deeply surprised” by the complaints and was “blindsided”.

In August 2023, three of Lizzie’s former backup dancers — Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez — sued the Grammy winner alleging sexual and racial harassment and a hostile work environment, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The dancers claimed that Lizzo’s Big Grrrl tour “treated black members of the dance team differently than other members.”

Lizzo denied the allegations in a post on Instagram. The case is currently being heard by the Court of Appeal, with the next hearing scheduled for January 14, 2025.

Lizzo in Los Angeles in February 2024.

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The following month, the “Good as Hell” singer received another complaint. Asha Daniels, a fashion designer who toured with Lizzo, claimed she fostered a “racist and sexualised” environment.

Daniels claimed that she “witnessed that I, the dancers and backing vocalists, and my local team in every city were regularly harassed and harassed,” according to NBC News.

Lizzo denied these allegations as well. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, Dec. 19, Daniels’ attorney Ron Zambrano clarified that while Lizzo is no longer being charged as an individual, the lawsuit is “still very active and has not been dismissed.”

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