Titled Cancel Me (Again): A ‘cancelled’ woman’s take on why everyone should get cancelled at least once, the essay sees Lizzo revisit several controversial moments in her career, including an NBA courtside outfit, disputes over particular lyrics and debates around her highly publicised weight-loss journey. She describes cancellation as a phenomenon that can flatten complex situations into a single, viral narrative, but also notes that being on the receiving end of that scrutiny has pushed her to examine her blind spots and the consequences of her choices.

Her claim that “everyone should get cancelled at least once” is positioned as a provocation aimed at the way minor missteps and serious harms can provoke similarly intense reactions. She argues that people’s heightened sensitivity online and algorithm feeds make them treat disagreeable content as a personal attack, which fuels conflict and prevents creative risk-taking and growth.

The post arrives after a turbulent period in Lizzo’s public life. In 2023, she was sued by former dancers who alleged harassment and a hostile work environment, claims she has formally disputed. The following year, she attracted widespread attention for an “I quit” Instagram message that was later clarified as a decision to step back from online hostility rather than an announcement that she was leaving music altogether. Once widely embraced as a mainstream symbol of body positivity, she has since described persistent trolling over her body, behaviour and artistic decisions as pushing her away from traditional social media.

Her latest Substack entry follows an earlier newsletter post about weight loss and health, pointing to a broader shift towards long-form writing as a way to process fame, criticism and controversy. For Lizzo, the format offers a chance to address her audience in her own words and at her own pace, away from the immediacy and brevity of platforms such as Instagram or X.

This move also reflects a wider trend of musicians turning to newsletters as an alternative channel for fan communication. Substack, in particular, has become a space where artists share essays, demos, tour diaries and behind-the-scenes commentary without the constraints of character limits or the volatility of public comment threads. Many cite the slower pace, lower volume of abuse and ability to build paying subscriber bases as major draws.

For artists whose reputations are heavily contested online, these newsletters can serve as a reputational reset, allowing them to speak directly to committed listeners. In Lizzo’s case, the essay functions as both a public reflection on cancel culture and a signal to fans that she plans to shape her own narrative through considered, long-form communication rather than reactive social media posts.

Lizzo now joins a growing roster of pop stars and veterans experimenting with Substack. Charli XCX, for instance, launched a newsletter in late 2025 and has used it for extended reflections on life after her “Brat” era and upcoming projects, mirroring Lizzo’s emphasis on process over pure promotion. Rosalía has used her space to share release updates and sheet music, while artists such as Patti Smith, Jeff Tweedy, Dolly Parton, Lorde, Tegan and Sara and Neko Case have turned newsletters into a hybrid of fan club, journal and income stream. Together, their approaches highlight how artists are reworking the relationships among celebrity, criticism, and direct fan engagement in a changing online landscape.

Featured Image credits: Library of Congress Life

Morrissey was due to play two shows on January 26th and 27th in California, both of which have been cancelled. As well as his North American gigs, Morrissey’s South American tour which would run from the 3rd to the 24th in February has also been cancelled. The tour was intended to span South America, stopping at Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The singer is to remain in Switzerland under medical supervision until he recovers.

Californian post-punk band, She Wants Revenge, was booked to support Morrissey on the Californian leg of his American tour. The band has since expressed their sadness at Morrissey’s poor health and subsequent cancellation. Taking to Instagram, the band said: “like many of you, though we are frustrated and deeply disappointed, we are not terribly surprised… We all knew this was a possibility, we just hoped it would play out different this time”. 

Although these circumstances are outside of Morrissey’s control, the singer does have a history of last-minute cancellations. In July 2023, Morrissey cancelled the Nottingham leg of his UK and Ireland tour on the day of the performance. This tour was itself announced after he pulled out of a London show scheduled for the same day in July. Later in 2023, Morrissey was scheduled to play in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok as part of his 40 years of Morrissey tour. These events were also cancelled just days before they were supposed to go ahead. Morrissey’s 40 years of Morrissey tour has faced a slew of abrupt cancellations across the globe.

This latest wave of cancellations only continues Morrissey’s unreliable reputation, leaving the singer’s live career in stasis. In light of Morrissey’s claim that “cancel culture begins at home”, it seems appropriate that the singer has now cancelled himself abroad.

On morrisseycentral.com, The Smiths’ frontman’s personal blog, Morrissey stated that, “I invented the group name, the song-titles, the album titles, the artwork, the vocal melodies, and all of the lyrical sentiments came from my heart … and so it’s a bit like saying Mick Jagger had nothing to do with the Stones.” Grandiose comparisons to Mick Jagger aside, Morrissey believes that other ex-Smiths members are taking credit for his work. In reference to the Smiths’ 1983 signing to Geoff Travis’ Rough Trade records, Morrissey said: “Several news sites now claim that the initial meeting at Rough Trade Records was with “Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke,”. Morrisey’s website lacks any citation or direct reference to the “several news sites” he mentions. A quick google search will reveal that Wikipedia and several major news publications credit both Morrissey and Marr with the signing.

While the specific claims made by the 64-year-old singer may be unverified, it is true that many fans and industry veterans have turned their back on Morrissey. However, rather than a result of greedy ex-band-members, Morrissey’s poor reputation is the result of his right-wing political opinions. Although The Smiths’ original material expressed relatively progressive messaging around class, the monarchy, and organised religion, Morrissey’s more recent affiliations with far-right politics has pushed him away from the mainstream.

In a 2019 performance on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, the singer wore a badge that featured the logo of the now-defunct For Britain Party. For Britain was a far-right fringe party led by Anne Marie Waters that promoted an anti-Islamic, anti-immigration policies which was host to ex-members of the British Nationalist Party (BNP) who were deemed too extreme for the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Speaking with Fiona Dodwell on blogsite Tremr in 2018, Morrissey expressed sympathy for Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, saying: “it’s very obvious that Labour or the Tories do not believe in free speech… I mean, look at the shocking treatment of Tommy Robinson”. For those who don’t know, Tommy Robinson is the far-right nationalist founder of the English Defence League (EDL), who has been convicted of multiple crimes that include assault of a police officer, ownership of a false passport, and the stalking of a journalist.

Morrissey has an esteemed past and a solidified position in British music cannon which will never change however, Morrissey’s claim of “cancel culture beings at home” mirrors that of many allegedly disgraced celebrities whose politics frequently land them in hot water. It is not ex-band-members who are tarnishing the legacy of the Smiths, but it is instead the reactionary far-right politics which he continues to promote.