Lizzo's team is framing this as a misunderstood-artist moment โ she's not angry, she's helpful. The new album 'Bitch' dropping June 5 will allegedly speak for itself.
Sources close to the singer say her inner circle has been worried about public perception since the 2023 lawsuit from former dancers alleging harassment and discrimination hit headlines hard. This interview feels like damage control dressed up as vulnerability.
"They think I'm always complaining or I'm always angry or I'm always shouting," Lizzo told Gayle King on CBS Mornings, airing Monday at 7 a.m. Her fifth studio album 'Bitch' arrives June 5 via Nice Life/Atlantic Records.
Lizzo wants us to believe she's been unfairly painted as an angry complainer โ but when you've got former employees suing you for harassment and discrimination, maybe the problem isn't how you're being received. Maybe it's time to look in the mirror.
Lizzo is back in her feelings, and she wants you to know it โ but not in the way you think. In an exclusive preview of her upcoming CBS Mornings interview with Gayle King (airing Monday at 7 a.m.), the "About Damn Time" singer made a bold claim: she thinks she might be "one of the most misunderstood" figures in public life. According to Lizzo, there's a "long list" of misconceptions about who she is and what she's trying to do โ and she's had enough.
"I think people don't understand that I'm always trying to help," she told King with a laugh. "I think people tone-police me a little bit and they think... I'm always complaining or I'm always angry or I'm always shouting.
And I'm like, 'No, I'm talking very calmly and everything that I'm talking about is meant to be helpful.'" The term "tone-policing" has become a favorite among public figures facing criticism โ it suggests that instead of engaging with what someone says, critics fixate on how they say it. In Lizzo's case, she claims the disconnect between her intentions and public perception has reached a breaking point. "They'll be like, 'Here comes Lizzo complaining again,'" she recalled.
"I'm like, I'm not complaining! I'm just shining a light. But once I realize that's how people are gonna take it, I've just decided to stop." Stop what, exactly?
Stop trying to explain herself in interviews and public forums โ because she's found a new venue for her frustrations. "I'm like, 'Y'all not gonna take it the way I want you to take it' โ so let me just put it in the music," Lizzo said. That music is coming soon: Earlier this week, Lizzo announced that her fifth studio album, titled "Bitch," will arrive June 5 via Nice Life/Atlantic Records.
Whether the project addresses these so-called misunderstandings or doubles down on the controversies remains to be seen โ but given her track record of turning personal drama into chart-topping hits, fans should expect unfiltered honesty. Still, it's hard to ignore the context here. Lizzo has faced significant scrutiny since 2023, when former dancers filed lawsuit allegations against her, claiming harassment and discrimination during their time working for the singer.
The legal battle played out in headlines for months, with Lizzo repeatedly denying wrongdoing while maintaining her public persona as a body-positive, empowerment-focused artist. Now, years later, she's still processing how that period shaped public perception of her โ even if she'd rather channel that energy into music than address it head-on.
