For a few years, Lizzo seemed almost impossible to miss. Between the success of “Truth Hurts”, “About Damn Time”, sold-out shows and a public image built around self-love and body positivity, she became one of the defining pop stars of the late 2010s and early 2020s.
The “Good as Hell” hitmaker was also known as the flautist who could stop an arena show for a flute solo, the artist who turned confidence into a mainstream pop message and the star who could move between music, television and fashion without seeming out of place.
The troubles began in August 2023, when three of her former dancers sued her, accusing the singer and members of her team of sexual harassment, discrimination and creating a hostile work environment. Lizzo denied the allegations, calling them “unbelievable” and “outrageous”.
So what happened to Lizzo, and where does her career stand now?
The mainstream breakthrough for Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, came later than that of many of her peers. Before becoming a household name, she released her debut album “Lizzobangers” in 2013 and “Big Grrrl Small World” in 2015.
She signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, before releasing “Cuz I Love You” in 2019.
The album peaked at No.4 on the Billboard 200, while “Truth Hurts”, which had initially been released in 2017, eventually became a No.1 hit after going viral.
It turned Lizzo into a global star and established the formula that would become closely associated with her: big pop records, humour, confidence and an unapologetic approach to her body.
Her success continued into 2022 with “Special”. Its lead single “About Damn Time” became another No.1 hit and won Record of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Lizzo has won four Grammys in total. Her wins include Best Pop Solo Performance for “Truth Hurts”, Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Jerome” and Best Progressive R&B Album for “Cuz I Love You” (Deluxe) in 2020, followed by Record of the Year for “About Damn Time” in 2023.
She also expanded beyond music. Her Amazon reality series “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”, which followed her search for dancers, won an Emmy, while she continued touring and headlining major festivals.
At that point, Lizzo’s public appeal was bigger and her music was successful. Another part of her success was the idea of her stage identity - a plus-size Black woman taking up space in an industry that had historically demanded something different from its female pop stars.
The beginning of the lawsuits
Her image was tested in August 2023 when three of her former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, filed a lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., and dance captain Shirlene Quigley.
The dancers alleged sexual, racial and religious harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment. Among the claims was an allegation that Davis was pressured to touch a nude performer while the group was at a club in Amsterdam.
The dancers also alleged that they were subjected to weight-shaming and an “excruciating” re-audition process after Lizzo’s team questioned their professionalism.
The allegations were particularly damaging because of the contrast between them and the public image Lizzo had spent years building.
Her career had been closely associated with body acceptance and self-confidence, while one of the former dancers alleged that Lizzo had criticised her weight.
Lizzo responded forcefully at the time, saying she normally chose not to respond to what she considered false allegations but that the claims were too serious to ignore. She also argued that the former employees had previously been told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.
In September 2023, former wardrobe assistant Asha Daniels sued Lizzo and Big Grrrl Big Touring, alleging racial and sexual harassment and an unsafe working environment during Lizzo’s European tour.
According to reports, Daniels alleged that she worked excessive hours and suffered an injury involving a clothing rack. She also alleged that concerns she raised about workplace conduct were not properly addressed. In a statement, Lizzo denied the allegations in that case as well.
The legal battles became a defining part of the public conversation around the singer. Even as Lizzo continued to work on music, the allegations remained attached to almost every discussion about her career.
Lawsuit timeline
The legal picture is more complicated than simply saying Lizzo “won her lawsuits”.
On September 1, 2026, a federal judge dismissed the remaining claims in Daniels’ case against Lizzo’s Big Grrrl Big Touring.
According to “The Guardian”, in the latest ruling, US District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha found that Daniels had not established the kind of workplace hostility or discriminatory treatment required under federal law.
The judge also ruled that the alleged injury did not meet the legal requirements for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Daniels’ lawyer disagreed with the decision and said they were considering their next steps.
Lizzo celebrated the ruling as a victory, sharing on Instagram that she was relieved.
“I am relieved to announce that I have won the case against me and my touring company 'Big Grrrl Touring'. All the ridiculous claims by a wardrobe assistant who worked on tour for less than 3 weeks (including a claim they broke an acrylic nail) have been dismissed,” she wrote.
“I prayed for the truth to come out and thanks to my incredible lawyers, the truth has prevailed. That truth matters more to me than anything, and I told y’all I will not settle and will continue to fight every vicious claim that has been made against me and my businesses,” she added.
The case brought by the three former dancers is still ongoing. A judge dismissed the dancers’ fat-shaming claim in December 2025, but other claims remain in the case.
While the September ruling is a significant legal victory for Lizzo’s touring company, it does not bring every legal dispute involving the singer to an end.
The comeback
While the lawsuits played out, Lizzo largely stepped away from the centre of pop culture. Her musical return began in 2025.
She released the surprise mixtape “My Face Hurts From Smiling” in June 2025, a 13-track project that leaned more heavily into her rap influences. It featured collaborations with SZA and Doja Cat.
The mixtape did not become a major commercial success. It failed to appear on Billboard’s main album charts, although “Leftright” did make appearances on digital song-sales charts.
On June 5, 2026, Lizzo released “B****”, her fifth studio album. The numbers were a sharp departure from what audiences had come to expect from her.
According to reports, the album sold 2,649 copies in its first week, and failed to enter the Billboard 200. It reached No.46 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. By comparison, “Special” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
For an artist who had recently been selling out arenas, the difference was striking. Lizzo acknowledged that the response hurt.
“It dropped, and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, this isn’t what I thought it would be’. I didn’t think it would be crazy, but I also didn’t think it would be this. There were, like, 24 hours of my life where I based my success and my worth on a number, and I think that was soul-crushing,” she said in an interview with YouTuber, Swiftologist.
Responding to a post about why she no longer has a loyal fanbase on X, Lizzo argued that the industry had changed significantly during the three years she had been away from the centre of the conversation.
She had built much of her audience during a period when radio and viral moments could turn a song into a mainstream hit. Now, streaming platforms and social media algorithms play a much larger role in determining what audiences hear.
That explanation has become part of the debate around her comeback, however, there is another question hanging over Lizzo’s numbers: what happened to the audience that once made her unavoidable?
Her biggest songs were enormous: “Truth Hurts” and “About Damn Time” became cultural moments, but having several huge singles is not necessarily the same as having a deeply organised fanbase that will support every album.
This all changed following the controversies.
Three years after the lawsuits first became public, Lizzo is currently attempting to rebuild her career while dealing with a very different reality from the one she started off with. Where she will land is difficult to predict, but time will tell if the audience support will return for the singer.
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