Singer Lizzo posted a video statement to Instagram on Monday in which she said she has had “health crises and episodes” since being sued by her former dancers, but that anti-war and anti-genocide activism has brought her out of a “dark space.”
She began the video by thanking activists working for “the liberation and freedom of people who have been genocided” in Palestine, Sudan and the Congo, before mentioning her own recent issues.
“On a personal note,” she said, “You have activated me. I was in a deep, dark depression. I had some mental health crises and and episodes over the last nine months and I was not present.” In April, the Grammy winner shared the message, “I quit,” on Instagram. She later clarified that she was not quitting social media or the music industry, but quitting paying attention to “negative energy.“
The singer went on to say, “between the loss I experienced in my personal life and the state of the world, I have been rendered into an emotional state where I could not process or handle anything. It was very dark.’ She did not mention the lawsuits against her or any of the plaintiffs, which were filed by former dancers and a costume designer who worked on her Emmy-winning Amazon reality series “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.”
Lizzo added, “I’m not saying this to make excuses, nor do I want sympathy, I just haven’t been able to be transparent with y’all in a long time. And this has been weighing on my heart to share with you all. The people in my life who love and care about me, they helped me get out of this dark space and I appreciate them.”
Lizzo thanked people for “kind words on the Internet” and “the activism that I have been seeing has been extremely motivating. Y’all have really motivated me to get my ass up and get back to who I am.
Later in the video, she said, “Thank you to the people who were genuinely concerned about me. You saw my face, but nobody was home. I was not present at all… and I don’t like how that feels.
She continued, “As someone who has worked closely with activists, I know the toll it can take on your mental and your physical [health], and it can feel thankless. So, if you haven’t heard it today, ‘Thank you.’ Your work is not in vain. You have helped so many people. You have saved literal lives.”
She signed off with the message, “We ain’t free until we’re all free.”
