Lizzo scored a recent legal victory as a federal court dismissed the remaining claims against her touring company in Asha Daniels’ lawsuit. However, her return to music faced a tougher reception.
The singer discussed the dramatic shift in her career during the September 7 episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. She reflected on the backlash that followed years of major commercial success and admitted she once questioned whether audiences still wanted music from her.
Lizzo’s touring company had the remaining claims in Asha Daniels’ lawsuit dismissed for lack of evidence
Daniels, Lizzo’s former wardrobe assistant, sued the singer and her touring company in 2023. She alleged racial and sexual harassment.
A judge removed Lizzo as an individual defendant from Daniels’ case in 2024. On September 1, a federal court dismissed the remaining claims against her touring company because of insufficient evidence.
Lizzo had denied the allegations against her.
Three former backup dancers separately sued Lizzo, her production company and dance captain Shirlene Quigley in 2023. Their lawsuit included allegations of harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment. A judge dismissed the fat-shaming allegations in December 2025, while other claims remained pending.
As those legal battles continued, Lizzo stepped away from releasing new music. She eventually returned with her fifth studio album, BITCH, in June. According to the source, the project struggled commercially and did not produce a chart hit.
Lizzo said the backlash changed how she viewed her place in music.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, this feels like my life is over,’” she recalled.
She said the reaction felt different from criticism she had experienced earlier in her career.
“So I really did feel like my life was over because music had been my life, and I didn’t feel like anyone wanted me to make music anymore,” she said.
The singer also admitted that the period pushed her into an extremely low emotional state. She ultimately said she had to separate her identity from her career.
“You know, what I came to is knowing who you are and not what you do,” Lizzo explained.
Before the controversies, Lizzo had reached major career milestones with songs including “Truth Hurts” and “About Damn Time.” She had also won multiple Grammy Awards and expanded into television, documentaries and fashion.
Her latest court development gave her touring company a legal win, but the commercial response to her new album showed that rebuilding her music career remained a separate challenge.
