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

https://people.com/thmb/-_SFwPMeD9ofwWBQUrx736Vmeew=/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/lizzo-laguna-niguel-101424-00c6806b956548669e363d433df3247c.jpg

"When I see things about me now, or if even if I see a word that looks like my name, I get physically unwell," she said on 'Baby, This Is Keke Palmer'

Presley Ann/Getty

Lizzo in Laguna Niguel in October 2024
  • During an appearance on Keke Palmer's podcast 'Baby, This Is Keke Palmer,' Lizzo addressed the social media break she took in 2023
  • The "Water Me" singer revealed she has a "very toxic relationship with the internet"
  • She also discussed how losing 150,000 followers in one day impacted her

Lizzo is addressing the social media break she took in 2023.

In an interview on Baby, This Is Keke Palmerthat aired on Thursday, Dec. 19, the "Truth Hurts" singer spoke about her relationship with the internet while breaking her silence about the sexual harassment and assault lawsuits she faces.

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

Lizzo continued, "People now will just believe anything bad about you because there's something about being a famous person that it's almost like people wanna believe that you're a bad person, and they can't believe that you're actually boring and chill and nice."

WireImage

Lizzo performs in Napa in May 2023

Related: Lizzo Says Bananenbar Sex Show in Lawsuit Was 'Wild' but 'Everyone Had a Great Time' and Was 'Very Consensual'

"But if you unfollowed me that quickly, were you even a fan?" she said, emphasizing the reason she was doing the interview.

Lizzo said she wasn't doing the interview "for the 150,000 people who unfollowed me."

"I'm doing this interview for my fans who care about me, who've stood beside me, and, the people that I've been wanting to speak to for so long," she said.

Lizzo also spoke about the social media break she took from August 2023 to January 2024. "Anything that you saw was either someone on my team posted for me, or I posted real quick and threw my phone," she explained.

The "Water Me" artist said she avoided the "jokes," "memes" and "discourse" surrounding her online. "When I see things about me now, or if even if I see a word that looks like my name, I get physically unwell, and I can't take it. So I have a very toxic relationship with the internet now," said Lizzo.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Lizzo in New York City in May 2022

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She added: "So I pulled out, and it was very healthy for me. I suggest everyone do it. I don't suggest under the circumstances, but everyone should pull out 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 Lizzo's former backup dancers — Crystal WilliamsArianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez — sued the Grammy winner for alleged sexual and racial harassment and a hostile work environment, court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The dancers claimed that Lizzo's Big Grrrl touring company "treated the Black members of the dance team differently than other members."

Lizzo denied these allegations in an Instagram post. The case is currently being reviewed by the court of appeals, with the next hearing to be held Jan. 14, 2025.

Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Lizzo in Los Angeles in February 2024

Related: Singers and Musicians Who Have Won Emmys, Including Lizzo, Taylor Swift and More

The following month, the "Good as Hell" singer received another complaint. Asha Daniels, a fashion designer who toured with Lizzo, alleged that she fostered a "racist and sexualized" environment.

Daniels claimed that she was "witnessing myself, the dancers and the background vocalists and my local team in every city be harassed and bullied regularly," per NBC News.

Lizzo denied these allegations as well. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, Dec. 19, Daniels' lawyer Ron Zambrano clarified that Lizzo is no longer a defendant as an individual, the lawsuit "is still very active and has not been dismissed."

×