‘I quit’: Lizzo rips critics, shares emotional message on Instagram

Four-time Grammy Award winner Lizzo has had enough.

The 35-year-old singer and rapper, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, posted an emotional note to her Instagram account on Friday. The performer said she was tired of the negative criticism that she has faced in the past year, The New York Times reported.

The social media post ended with the phrase “I quit,” spelled out in capital letters.

Lizzo, the Grammy Award-winning singer and fashion entrepreneur, on Friday declared “I QUIT” on Instagram after citing online criticism she’s faced.

“I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet.” https://t.co/jSP8ZAXtow
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 30, 2024

“I’m getting tired of putting up with getting dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” Lizzo wrote on Instagram. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.”

It was unclear whether Lizzo was quitting the music industry, social media or public life, Deadline reported. She has more than 12 million followers on Instagram.

In her Instagram post, Lizzo expanded on the criticism she has faced.

“I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views,” Lizzo wrote. “Being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look … my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name.

“I didn’t sign up for this.”

Representatives for Lizzo could not immediately be reached for comment, according to the Times and People.

Criticisms of the singer have included allegations of sexual harassment toward some of the dancers on her tour, according to Deadline. The dancers also complained about a “hostile environment” during “The Special Tour” between September 2021 and April 2022, and also during the European leg of a 2023 tour.

Lizzo sued by former dancers over alleged sexual harassment

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, Billboard reported.

The singer attempted to dismiss the lawsuit nearly two months ago, but the motion was denied, People reported.

Lizzo rose to prominence with No. 1 hits like “Truth Hurts” in 2017 and “About Damn Time” in 2022, the Times reported. She also won an Emmy Award for the reality series “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” which follows a group of aspiring dancers, the Times reported.