Lizzo suffered first panic attack when she returned to U.S. following harassment lawsuit
Written by worldOneFm on April 8, 2025
Lizzo experienced her first panic attack when she returned to the U.S. after being sued by three former back-up dancers.
The About Damn Time singer was on holiday in Japan following the end of her tour when she was sued for sexual, religious, and racial harassment, disability discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, and weight-shaming in August 2023.
When Lizzo returned to the U.S. in October 2023, the gravity of the situation finally hit her, and she had a panic attack when she left the airport.
“When I was in Japan, I was doing the best I can, but there was a huge scandal (and) I was dealing with a lot. When I touched down in Los Angeles, it didn’t hit me how deeply affected I was because I had been trying to be happy for everyone else (on holiday),” she said during the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast. “I got in LA and had my first panic attack ever. I was in the car coming home from the airport.”
The Juice hitmaker admitted that her usual anxiety-management techniques didn’t work, and she felt like something was pressing on her chest.
“I had this thought, I was like, ‘Everybody hates me. Everybody hates me for something that isn’t true, but at the end of the day, because of the position I’m in, everybody hates me, and there’s nothing you can do about it,'” she recalled. “I got into the house, I could barely walk, and I collapsed by my bed and was like, ‘Oh s**t.’ I couldn’t breathe… from then on, I have been in a state of depression because I didn’t know how to fix it.”
Lizzo, 36, confessed that she lost the will to live during her darkest period, but a “life-saving” experience with fans helped her push forward. She had fans come up and tell her how much they loved her during a rare public appearance, and this inspired her to call her upcoming album Love in Real Life.
The star denied the allegations and tried to dismiss the lawsuit. A judge dismissed the weight-shaming and disability discrimination claims but upheld the others.
