Lizzo Shares How She Overcame ‘Dark, Deep Depression’—and We All Need to Hear Her Advice

Lizzo has been a huge advocate for mental health over the years. Apart from churning out bold, self-love anthems like "Special" and "Good as Hell," the 36-year-old singer-songwriter has also been candid about her struggles with things like body positivity and self-acceptance across her social media platforms. Recently, the Grammy winner took this vulnerability to a whole new level by openly sharing her struggle with depression with a live audience.

During her first Los Angeles concert since 2022 on Wednesday, Lizzo was recorded admitting to the audience that she fell into a "dark, deep depression" after being sued in 2023 by her former backup dancers, who claimed she harassed them and promoted a toxic workplace environment. (She has denied these allegations and the case has since been dropped.) Between songs, she spoke more about how her mental health is the inspiration for her new album name, "Love in Real Life."

“About a year and a half ago—it’s so hard for me to talk about—I was in such a dark, deep depression," Lizzo said in the recording. "I was so heartbroken by the world and so deeply hurt that I didn’t want to live anymore, and I was so deeply afraid of people that I didn’t want to be seen.” But thanks to a fan at a previous concert, she eventually "got over that fear," she added.

“As I was walking through the crowd to get to my spot, something miraculous happened. Somebody, who I didn’t know, looked at me and said, ‘Lizzo, I love you,’” she said. “And they reached out, and I reached back, and we hugged, and it felt so damn good.” She claims the love expressed to her by a lot of other people at that moment was "life-saving."

“After that experience, I was like, ‘Damn, you can’t get this s--- on the internet, bro. This is the kind of love you can only get in real life,” she said.

The video recording of Wednesday's concert also showed Lizzo offering advice to people struggling with their mental health. "If you're depressed, reach out to someone who will listen," she said. "If you hate the way you look, reach out to someone who loves you and who will tell you, 'You are f---ing beautiful as you are right now, no matter how your body changes.' Because you may not believe, but you are special," she added.

According to Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, assistant professor at NYU Langone Health, and co-host of the Mind in View podcast, celebrities speaking about their experience in such a public way can be powerful for others. “It normalizes the experience of having depression,” she says. “It says, ‘This can happen to anyone, even to a very successful celebrity.’”

Gallagher also says that Lizzo's advice on looking for support IRL is sound. "When we look someone in the face and see their humanity, it's really powerful," she says. “So many of us are more empathetic, loving, and caring when we’re in person. Talking with the people who love and support you in person can give you the power to heal and move on.”

Of course, this isn't the first time Lizzo has gotten candid about her mental health. In 2019, she shared on Instagram that she was struggling with depression. “I'm depressed and there's no one I can talk to because there's nothing anyone can do about it. Life hurts,” she wrote in a post. “I self-love so hard because everything feels like rejection. It feel like the whole world be ghostin' me sometimes. Sad AF today. But this too shall pass.”

Years later, in 2024, Lizzo said her mental health was getting better. "I'm the happiest I've been in 10 months," she wrote in another Instagram post.

“The strange thing about depression is you don’t know you’re in it until you’re out of it. I’m definitely not all the way as carefree as I used to be...But the dark cloud that followed me every day is finally clearing up. My smile reaches my eyes again and that’s a win.”

Now, Lizzo seems to be in a good place. “I don’t share that story to gain some sort of sympathy,” she said in the concert video recording. “We’re beyond that, bitch. Look at me.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to FindTreatment.gov for resources and treatment options. If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or others, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.