Fans and famous friends like Cardi B and Missy Elliott are cheering on Lizzo after the singer cried during an “honest moment” on Instagram Live.
During the video, which no longer appears on her Instagram feed, the Grammy winner got emotional in response to negative attacks days after she and Cardi B released the music video for their new song collaboration, “Rumors.”
“On the days I feel I should be the happiest…. I feel so down,” Lizzo, sitting in her bathroom, told her social media followers as she dabbed at her eyes. “Like, I hurt so hard.”
Though the 33-year-old didn’t describe the hateful messages in detail — explaining, “I’m not even going to say them, to give them power” — they appear to be focused on her appearance.
“People saying s*** about me that just doesn’t even make sense,” the visibly upset star shared. “It’s fat-phobic, and it’s racist and it’s hurtful. If you don’t like my music, cool. If you don’t like ‘Rumors’ the song, cool. But a lot of people don’t like me because of the way I look… “
The native Texan noted that she felt especially frustrated because she’s been working “quadruple” the time, but feels unappreciated. “Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back,” she admitted.
She added, “It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still going to have people who have… something mean to say about you. And for the most part it doesn’t hurt my feelings; I don’t care. I just think when I’m working this hard, my tolerance gets lower. My patience is lower. I’m more sensitive and it gets to me.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/RuZTrfWTRA8?rel=0
The nearly 13-minute video also saw Lizzo, wearing a wig cap, defend her musical talents.
“I think I’m just overwhelmed,” she vented. “I think I’ve been in shock ever since the song came out… and I haven’t really been able to sit and just congratulate myself. Like, I did it. I dropped a song, I said everything I wanted to say, I make music that I like, that’s important to me, and I make music that I hope helps people. Period. I’m not making music for white people. I’m not making music for anybody. I’m a Black woman making music. I make Black music, period. I’m not serving anyone by myself… Everyone’s invited.”
She had strong words for those trying to body-shame her, however.
“For the people that just always have something negative to say about me, that has nothing to do with music, or the content of my character, or me as an artist, and just has everything to do with my body or whatever trope you think I fall into… suck my p**** from behind. ‘Cause y’all mother****ers gonna be the ones that’s catching up,” she added, pointing out that great artists before her who have had to deal with “the same type of criticism.”
“I strive for joy every single day… but on the way to joy you get sadness, you get exhaustion, you get anger, you get annoyed, you get tired and insecure. On the road to joy there’s all these pitstops, and right now I’m just over it,” she continued, taking a deep breath. “I’m over it.”
“I’m only going to focus on positive comments from here on out. I don’t have time for your negativity, your internalized self-hatred that you protect onto me with your racism and your fat phobia. I don’t have time for it. Anyways, I’m going to continue to be me. I’m going to be continue to be a bad bitch… “
Lizzo also addressed the abuse Black women — “especially us big Black girls” — are so often subjected to.
“What I won’t accept is y’all doing this to Black women over and over and over again — especially us big Black girls,” she said. “When we don’t fit into the box you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred on us. It’s not cool. I’m doing this s*** for the big Black women of the future who just want to live their lives without being scrutinized or put into boxes. I’m not going to do what y’all want me to do ever, so get used to it.”
She pledged to continue to “uplift” herself and others with her music.
“I was overwhelmed today,” she said. “I saw a lot of things I didn’t want to see today. I read a lot of hurtful words that triggered a lot of deep feelings today. And I’m not even going to say them, to give them power. But what I will say is: Thank you. I love you as much as you love yourself. And I hope that you love yourself a lot. I’m gonna keep on bringing this music out, and I’m gonna keep on doing what I want to do.”
Assuring fans that she was “OK,” she ended her video with a defiant message: “F*** the haters… haters gonna do what they do. They don’t know I do it for the mother****ing culture.”
The “Truth Hurts” star also posted a tweet about self-love in the face of “ass-backwards societal standards.”
“Rumors” collaborator Cardi B — who likened Lizzo’s haters to “nerds looking at the popular table” — was among those offering the singer support, with Chloe Bailey and Jameela Jamil also weighing in. And according to Lizzo’s Instagram Stories, Missy Elliott sent a flower delivery to lift her spirits.
Lizzo also addressed her emotional moment in an Instagram post with the caption: “Sometimes I get sad…”
