Fans Flee Lizzo, But They Rallied Behind Morgan Wallen | Christian Toto

Pop superstar Lizzo is facing the worst headlines of her professional life, and the fallout stands in contrast with another singer’s scandal.

The “Truth Hurts” singer is being accused of treating her backup dancers badly, including fat-shaming them behind the scenes. She's one of the most woke celebrities on the scene, and she shares her progressive thinking early and often.

When a tiny number of fans complained about the "ableist" lyrics in one of her songs, she quickly changed her tune. Literally.

The lawsuit's charge is particularly “problematic” for Lizzo, a plus-sized superstar who preaches to the body positivity choir. She even made an Amazon TV series based on that core philosophy, the 2022 reality show “Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.”

Now, some of those “Grrrls” contend Lizzo bullied them into uncomfortable sexualized situations and her team fat-shamed them during the work process.

The singer vehemently denies the charges on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed."

The fallout was swift and unpleasant. Fellow pop princess Beyonce left Lizzo’s name out of a live performance of “Break My Soul” sung after the scandal broke. Fans rushed social media to share their extreme disappointment in Lizzo, even though the accusations have yet to be proven in a court of law.

The hardest lesson so far? Lizzo’s music sales slumped, badly, immediately after the news broke.

In those two days, her record sales including streaming and airplay have collapsed. Looking at numbers from Luminate, the trends have not just fallen but evaporated. It’s as if every radio has pulled Lizzo’s hits. Fans stopped streaming the records, and forget about buying them or downloading them.

And it could get worse before it gets better. The lawyer behind the lawsuit in question says others recently stepped forward with similar complaints against Lizzo. A filmmaker who briefly worked with Lizzo on the 2022 documentary, “Love, Lizzo” says her experience with her was so toxic she quit the project after two weeks of work.

Sophia Nahli Allison also hinted others will step forward soon with their own terrible takes.

Drip, drip drip.

Now, compare that scandal’s fallout with what happened to country superstar Morgan Wallen in 2021. TMZ reported on a private video showing the singer saying the “n-word.” He didn’t direct it at a black person, but uttering the toxic word set off a career implosion unlike any other.

Wallen got suspended by his label, had his music stripped from most major streaming platforms and radio stations and got him exiled from country awards shows.

His career collapsed in a New York minute.

He apologized, donated thousands to black causes and begged for forgiveness. His loyal fans listened, processed his contrite nature and kept on buying his music. His sales soared following the career meltdown.

Billboard reports that his latest album sold 25,000 copies during the week ending Feb. 4, an increase of 102%, according to MRC Data. Billboard reported that that the album’s streaming numbers slightly increased by 3%, representing roughly 160 million on-demand streams. Song downloads from the album also went up by 67%.

That strong, steady support helped Wallen build back his career. The scandal didn't show him as a hypocrite. His hard-partying image was no secret, and his instant, seemingly sincere apology made many forgive and forget.

Now, he’s even more popular than ever, regularly crushing the music sales charts and touring as if the scandal had never happened.

We don’t know how Lizzo’s scandal will play out. If no one else comes forward, and her lawyers mount a sturdy defense, she could resume her spectacular career. If more allegations surface, she may be forever known as the woke goddess who didn’t practice what she preached.