Lizzo’s future is hanging in the balance – will she survive?

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2023

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Body positivity is Lizzo’s brand.

No stranger to the subject of fat shaming, the singer – whose real name is real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson – has been credited with changing the narrative around plus-size women, calling out sizeist behaviour and refusing to conform to industry stereotypes as she cranks out the hits in a rainbow array of skin-tight leotards and bodysuits.

She’s won four Grammys, and in 2019 was named Time’s entertainer of the year. Her 2023 Glastonbury set on the festival’s main stage was met with critical acclaim. And she’s been credited with single-handedly raising the profile of woodwind, making it officially cool to play the flute.

But now, with claims she is guilty of weight shaming and sexual harassment – accusations the 35-year-old singer, songwriter, rapper and flautist strongly denies – her future is hanging in the balance.

Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have filed a civil lawsuit against her and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc (BGBT) – including accusations she pressured one to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam strip club, and made comments about one performer putting on weight before firing her.

Two of the dancers had won their roles on Lizzo’s Emmy-winning reality show Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, which offers plus-sized dancers the chance to compete to be part of her team.

Two days after the lawsuit was publicly announced, Lizzo posted a statement on Instagram, calling the allegations against her false – and labelling them “unbelievable,” “outrageous,” and “sensationalised”.

She said she was passionate about her art, and that “with passion comes hard work and high standards,” adding “sometimes I have to make hard decisions”.

In turn, Lizzo accused “people and the media” of portraying her as a “villain”.

She then touched on the very reason there’s been such a showbiz stir over the claims, telling her fans: “I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight.”

For a long time in the shiny and glamourous world of showbiz, thinness and fame have been so firmly intertwined as to be virtually inseparable. Lizzo exploded that myth – bursting onto the scene and refusing to be told she needed to be a size zero in order to make it.

The accusations against her must sting particularly hard due to the fact she’s previously spoken so openly about her struggles with body issues from an early age and experiencing body shaming herself due to her weight.

Advocating body confidence, and a role model to many, she gave a long overdue boost to the visibility of plus-sized women in entertainment.

But when Beyonce skipped a reference to Lizzo in a live performance of Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) on Tuesday night, many saw it as an early snub, signalling the star’s potential cancellation.

And Lizzo’s product is more than just herself or her music – there’s also the bandwagon of merchandise that comes with any bona fide US star. You can buy Lizzo T-shirts, trackies and hoodies – and even a Lizzo thong with Juice (the title of her 2019 hit) plastered across the front.

It seems likely that sales of the merch may now slow – at least until the lawsuit is concluded – as fans try to work out if hers is a label they want to be associated with.

Further accusations against Lizzo have followed news of the lawsuit, with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison posting statements on social media, supporting the claims of the three backing dancers, and calling Lizzo “arrogant, self-centred, and unkind”.

Nahli Allison had been due to direct a documentary about the star, travelling with her in 2019, but said she dropped out of the project after two weeks after being treated with “such disrespect by her”.

She accused Lizzo of creating “an extremely toxic and hostile working environment” – calling her “a narcissistic bully,” claiming the singer has “built her brand off lies”, and saying “her image and ‘message’ was a curated facade”.

Following Lizzo’s response to the accusations, the law firm representing the three former dancers says the singer has “failed her own brand and let down her fans” – adding that her words were an attempt to “minimise the trauma” she’s alleged to have caused. They also say more people have been in touch with them since the women came forward.

It’s not the first time Lizzo – who as a songwriter makes her living from words – has been in the firing line over perceived insensitivity to others.

Last year, a lyric from her song Grrrls generated controversy after using a derogatory term for the condition spastic cerebral palsy.

The lyric was eventually changed, with Lizzo saying at the time: “As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).”

The singer now finds herself on the defensive again – with many who previously felt empowered and emboldened by her body positive messages now likely to be questioning the value of words and actions some claim are counterfeit and empty.

With her reality show commissioned for a second season, there will now also be eyes on the reaction of Amazon Studios (who produce the show along with the singer’s production company Lizzo Bangers). They have previously hailed the singer as “one of the most exciting, creative, joyful artists in the industry”.

When launching auditions in April, Lizzo herself said: “I’ve witnessed lives change through this show and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue making space for even more Big Grrrls around the world to shine and break down barriers across this industry.”

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Known for leading chants of “I love you, you are beautiful and you can do anything” during her gigs, the authenticity needed to make those kind of affirmations feel inspiring rather than icky is now under scrutiny.

Lizzo now risks seeing her triple-charged brand – with all the colour, vibrancy and pizzazz associated with her work – turn from positive to negative in the blink of an eye.

She plays a superhero in her latest glossy music video, but in reality, Lizzo’s superpower – her all-embracing body positivity – could turn out to be her kryptonite if it’s proved she didn’t live by the standards she set for others. The forthcoming lawsuit will decide if she’s cast as the hero or “villain” of that story.

Sky News has contacted Lizzo for comment.

US

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died, her family says

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2025

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Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died, her family says

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died aged 41.

In a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News on Friday, her family said she took her own life in the Perth suburb of Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for several years.

“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said.

“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.

“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

Police said emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in Neergabby on Friday night.

“Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said.

“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”

Sexual assault claims

Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any criminal offences.

In March 2022, it was announced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement – believed to include a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.

She stuck by her version of events until the end

Of the many dozens of victims of Jeffrey Epstein, it was Virginia Giuffre who became the most high-profile.

She was among the loudest and most compelling voices, urging criminal charges to be brought against Epstein, waving her right to anonymity in 2015.

She told how he and Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her and “passed around like a platter of fruit” to be used by rich and powerful men.

But her name and face became known around the world after she accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17 years old.

The picture of her together with the prince and Maxwell at the top of a staircase, his hand around her waist, is the defining image of the whole scandal.

Prince Andrew said he had no memory of the occasion. But Giuffre stuck by her version of events until the end.

‘An incredible champion’

Sigrid McCawley, Ms Giuffre’s attorney, said in a statement that she “was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims”.

“Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” she said. “The world has lost an amazing human being today.”

“Rest in peace, my sweet angel,” she added.

Dini von Mueffling, Ms Giuffre’s representative, also said that “Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.

“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” she added. “She adored her children and many animals.

“She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words.

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”

Ms Giuffre said at the end of March she had four days to live after a car accident, posting on social media that “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure”. She was discharged from hospital eight days later.

Raised mainly in Florida, she said she was abused by a family friend early in life, which led to her living on the streets at times as a teenager.

She said that in 2000, she met Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Ms Giuffre said Maxwell then introduced her to Epstein and hired her as his masseuse, and said she was sex trafficked and sexually abused by him and associates around the world.

‘A survivor’

After meeting her husband in 2002, while taking massage training in Thailand at what she said was Epstein’s behest, she moved to Australia and had a family.

She founded the sex trafficking victims’ advocacy charity SOAR in 2015, and is quoted on its website as saying: “I do this for victims everywhere.

“I am no longer the young and vulnerable girl who could be bullied. I am now a survivor, and nobody can ever take that away from me.”

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

US

Trump met with Zelenskyy ahead of Pope’s funeral

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2025

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Trump met with Zelenskyy ahead of Pope's funeral

Donald Trump has met Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the Pope’s funeral, Vatican sources have told Sky News.

The US and Ukrainian presidents had a “very productive discussion”, according to a White House Official, and have also agreed to hold further talks after the service.

They are among world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, who are attending the funeral of Pope Francis.

Follow live updates: Zelenskyy among world leaders joining thousands of mourners

There was applause from some of those gathered in St Peter’s Square when the Ukrainian leader walked out.

The former British ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy.

He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, and is their first face-to-face meeting after a very public row between the presidents at the White House in February.

The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

Meanwhile, the Polish Armed Forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening, in a post on X.

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US

Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine are ‘very close to a deal’ – and says ‘two sides should now meet’

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2025

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Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine are 'very close to a deal' - and says 'two sides should now meet'

Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” with “most of the major points agreed” – as he called for the two sides to meet.

Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to “finish [the deal] off”.

“A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’.

“Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”

Throughout the week, the US president has criticised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to agree to a peace deal.

On Wednesday, he accused Mr Zelenskyy of harming talks on Truth Social, saying “the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE”.

A day later, after nine people were killed in Kyiv after a Russian missile and drone strike, Mr Trump said: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

The president and other officials have also threatened to withdraw from negotiations if no progress is made toward a deal.

It comes after Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine.

The talks allowed Russia and the United States to “further bring their positions closer together” on “a number of international issues”, a Kremlin aide said.

Speaking earlier on the flight to Italy, Mr Trump said he hadn’t been fully briefed on Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin’s meeting – but added it was a “pretty good meeting”.

Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not accept a deal conceding land or handing over sovereignty to Russia.

However, Mr Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” describing the region as a place where Moscow has “had their submarines” and “the people speak largely Russian”.

“Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” he added. “It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”

When asked on Friday about Mr Trump’s comments, Mr Zelenskyy did not want to comment but repeated that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line.