What Happened to Lizzo? A Simple Explanation

Her Big Rise to Fame

Remember when Lizzo was everywhere? She released her fifth album in early June, and everyone was talking about her. But it wasn’t always this quiet around her.

A few years ago, Lizzo was massive. She had super popular songs like "Truth Hurts" and "About Damn Time" that everyone was listening to. She won four Grammy awards! She was famous for two big things:

• Her fun, catchy music
• Teaching people to love their bodies just the way they are

She was always on TV, on the radio, and all over the internet. It seemed like everyone loved her.

But Then Things Changed

Her latest album, called Bitch, didn’t do very well at all. Here are the numbers that show how much things have slowed down:

• Streams: Less than 1 million plays on Spotify in the first 24 hours (that’s very low for someone as famous as she once was)
• Sales: Fewer than 3,000 copies sold in the first week
• Charts: It didn’t even make it onto the Billboard 200 list in the first two weeks

People started asking, "Whatever happened to Lizzo?"

Why Isn’t She As Popular Anymore?

Lizzo herself has an explanation. She posted a video on TikTok and said the algorithm — that’s the computer system that decides what shows up on your social media feed — is messing things up.

Important Point: Lizzo thinks social media apps are showing people things in the wrong order, so many fans didn’t even know she was releasing a new album.

But other people think there are bigger reasons.

The Big Lawsuit That Shook Everything

In 2023, three of Lizzo’s former dancers sued her. This was a huge deal and changed how a lot of people saw her.

The three dancers — Noelle Rodriguez, Arianna Davis, and Crystal Williams — said some really serious things happened while they worked for her:

• They were harassed
• They were body shamed (criticized for their weight)
• They had to work in a hostile environment
• They were pressured to go to nude shows and interact with performers

The lawsuit was against Lizzo, her production company (called Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc.), and her dance team captain.

What the dancers said was especially shocking because Lizzo had built her whole career on loving yourself and being kind to others — especially bigger women and women of color.

What the Dancers Want You to Know

These women say they never wanted to destroy Lizzo’s career. Noelle Rodriguez said:

"It was never our intention to take down a woman of color… It was never to take somebody down."

They say they just wanted her to be held responsible for the values she claimed to believe in. They were especially hurt because working for Lizzo was a dream job for them — a chance to show that "big girls" could dance just as well as anyone else.

Rodriguez even said she felt sad that the lawsuit hurt Lizzo’s career.

Lizzo Says the Claims Aren’t True

Lizzo’s lawyer, Melissa Glass, says the lawsuit has no basis in reality. She says:

• Not a single witness came forward to support the dancers’ claims
• 18 other dancers said the claims weren’t true
• Lizzo will win the case

Lizzo herself called the allegations "false" and said she would never fire someone because of their weight. She said she knows what it feels like to be body shamed and would never do that to someone else.

What Other People Who Worked With Lizzo Say

Chawnta’ Van, another dancer who worked with Lizzo, says she was "blindsided" by the lawsuit. She thought everyone on the tour was like a family and couldn’t believe the allegations.

When the lawsuit came out, all future shows got canceled. Van says this was really hard because dancers are the lowest paid people in the music business and they work job by job to make a living.

The Weight Loss That Got Everyone Talking

Another big change people noticed: Lizmo got slimmer.

In 2024, people noticed she looked different. She showed off her new body in a see-through dress and on social media. Around the same time, she announced she was no longer vegan and was eating things like eggs and grilled chicken.

In an essay from 2025, Lizzo explained that she started losing weight in 2023 — right when the lawsuit happened. She said she was feeling depressed and started doing Pilates to cope with her pain.

She also wrote something really honest:

"I was sick and tired of my identity being overshadowed by my fatness. People could not see my talent as a musician because they were too busy accusing me of making ‘being fat’ my whole personality."

Some keyboard player who works with Lizzo and also happens to be plus-size says the weight loss was just about becoming healthier, not trying to look like what society expects.

But some fans felt hurt. They wondered: If Lizzo spent years telling people to love their bodies no matter what size, why did she decide to lose weight?

Expert Opinions on the Situation

Tigress Osborn, who runs an organization that supports fat acceptance, made an interesting point:

"What’s complicated about Lizzo is Lizzo did make her body size part of her brand."

She explained there’s a pattern in Hollywood called the "magical Black friend dynamic" — where Black celebrities are expected to make everyone else’s lives better by being inspiring. When the lawsuit happened and Lizzo got thinner, she wasn’t as relatable to her original fans anymore.

Osborn’s bottom line:

"If you want your fans to relate to you as a person, then you have to be a person, not a brand. If you want your fans to relate to you as a brand, then brand loyalty ends when the brand changes."

How the Dancers Feel Watching All This

The three women who sued Lizzo say watching her comeback has been really difficult. They haven’t even listened to her music since everything happened.

They’re worried about their own reputations after the lawsuit. Noelle Rodriguez is thinking about going to law school because of what she went through. Crystal Williams says they’re determined to see the case through until the truth "We want a chance and an opportunity for her to be held accountable. We want the facts to come out… We’re ready to see it through."

What About the Album Sales?

Some people who support Lizzo think the lawsuit is the main reason her new album didn’t sell well. Lynette Williams, who plays keyboard for Lizzo, thinks the music is actually great ("I think it’s fire") but the drama around the lawsuit hurt its chances.

The Legal Case Keeps Going

The lawsuit has been slowly working its way through the courts for three years. A judge already threw out the body shaming claims because Lizzo’s team argued those events were protected free speech. Now the case is waiting for the California Court of Appeal to hear arguments.

Lizzo says she refused to settle because she’s not afraid of the truth coming out.

Summary

Lizzo went from being one of the biggest pop stars in the world to facing serious questions about her future. Here’s what happened:

1. She was huge with hits like "Truth Hurts" and a message of body positivity
2. Three dancers sued her in 2023, claiming harassment, body shaming, and a hostile workplace
3. Her new album flopped, selling very few copies and getting few streams
4. She lost weight, which some fans saw as giving up on the body positivity message she championed
5. The lawsuit continues, with both sides waiting for the court to decide

Some people support Lizzo and think the algorithm and the lawsuit unfairly hurt her career. Others think the allegations explain why people stopped listening. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did Lizzo’s new album do well?
A: No. It got fewer than 1 million streams on Spotify in its first day, sold fewer than 3,000 copies in its first week, and didn’t make the Billboard 200 chart.

Q: What are the three dancers accusing Lizzo of?
A: Sexual harassment, body shaming, and creating a hostile work environment. They say she pressured them to go to nude shows and treated them badly behind the scenes.

Q: What does Lizzo say about the lawsuit?
A: She says all the claims are false. Her lawyer says 18 witnesses defended Lizzo and not one person supported the dancers’ story.

Q: Why did Lizzo lose weight?
A: She says she started doing Pilates in 2023 to cope with depression from the lawsuit. She says she was tired of people only seeing her body and not her musical talent, but some fans felt betrayed by her weight loss.

Q: What happens next with the lawsuit?
A: The case is waiting for the California Court of Appeal to schedule a hearing for both sides to present their arguments.