Lizzo used her time onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs to shut down her detractors.
During her acceptance speech for the Best Music Video for Good statue — which she’d won for her “About Damn Time” video — the musician referenced an unnamed critic.
“And now, to the b*tches that got something to say about me in the press,” she said, before deciding against going further.
“You know what, I’m not going to say nothing. They be like, ‘Lizzo, why don’t you clap back?’ Because b*tch I’m winning, ho! Big b*tch is winning, ho!”
Fans suspected that she was referencing comedian Aries Spears, who made disparaging comments about Lizzo’s body during a recent interview.
Throughout her career, Lizzo has faced repeated criticism from people who are far too comfortable discussing her body.
“I can’t get past the fact that she looks like the sh*t emoji,” Spears recently said on the YouTube channel Art of Dialogue.
“You know what kills me about women is the hypocrisy and the contradiction,” he continued, going on to express concern for any potential health problems that may befall Lizzo, and to claim that fans overlook this when praising the singer.
“But if you really gave a f*ck, why wouldn’t you go, ‘Black girl, we love your confidence, boo boo, but this ain’t it. This ain’t it.’”
So when Lizzo took time out of her VMAs acceptance speech to address “b*tches that got something to say about me in the press,” many assumed she was referencing Spears.
In refusing to name Spears, she let him and all of her other critics know just how little their negative opinions matter.
Lizzo’s comment also called back to Nicki Minaj’s infamous 2015 VMAs speech, in which Minaj called out Miley Cyrus. Back then, Minaj said, “And now back to this b*tch that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press… Miley, what’s good!?”
When Lizzo said something very similar at the 2022 VMAs, viewers immediately picked up on the reference.
