Lizzo has come under fire from conservative commentator Candace Owens, who claims that the “Good As Hell” singer is engaging in what she calls “problematic” behavior.
Gaslighting is an often-misused term that describes the deliberate and systemic feeding of false information to make the victim question their own reality, which results in the victim doubting their perception and sanity, according to Psychology Today.
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And Owens didn’t use the term in the correct context when she went on The Joe Budden Podcast on Saturday (March 16) to lob the accusations against the embattled singer.
“I don’t like the game that people play where they do something that is so obviously outrageous, like, you know, Lizzo in a thong shaking your ass cheeks,” she began. “You know what that was.”
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She continued: “This is a. Disgusting, b. Perverted, and people take their kids to the games. Is there no space that’s safe? […] And then she’s like, ‘if you don’t like it, that’s your problem.’ Like no, you are being problematic. And now you’re playing the game where you do something outrageous, and then, when we outrage, you pretend that we’re the crazy ones. I’m not dealing with that. Stop gaslighting me, okay?”
Check out the full interview clip below.
Owens appears to be referring to the 2019 moment when Lizzo made headlines for arriving at a Los Angeles Lakers game in an outfit that exposed her fishnet stockings and backside in a thong.
When the Laker cheerleaders performed a routine to her hit “Juice,” the jumbotron showed Lizzo twerking and showing her thong to the camera. Social media erupted with all types of comments from full-on support for her daring outfit choice to fat-shaming.
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More recently, Lizzo has come under fire following a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against her by her former backup dancers, which has temporarily been put on pause.
Court documents obtained by Billboard reveal that Judge Mark Epstein ordered the case to be stayed as of March 7, as Lizzo’s attorneys appealed a ruling against having it thrown out.
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Epstein denied Lizzo’s motion to dismiss because the suit violated California’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) laws, which prevent people and corporations from filing frivolous lawsuits to stifle free speech.
It is expected to take several months for the appeals process to conclude.
Earlier this month, Epstein denied the singer’s motion to throw out her sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former backup dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez.
It’s important to note that while certain accusations have been dismissed — such as claims that Lizzo fat-shamed one of her dancers — the case as a whole will go to trial.
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“It is dangerous for the court to weigh in, ham-fisted, into constitutionally protected activity,” the judge wrote. “But it is equally dangerous to turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct merely because they take place in a speech-related environment,” Epstein wrote in his decision.
