Lizzo reacts to 'South Park' joke about her in Ozempic episode: 'My worst fear'
Lizzo is confronting her "worst fear": being spoofed on "South Park."
In a TikTok, the "About Damn Time" singer, 36, reacted to a new "South Park" special, "South Park: The End of Obesity," in which her music is prescribed as an alternative to Ozempic. Though she was initially fearful, it seems Lizzo ended up being happy with the jokes about her.
The "South Park" special, which debuted Friday, spoofs the craze of celebrities using medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro to lose weight and depicts its characters struggling to access the drugs. In the episode, "Lizzo" is advertised as an alternative to Ozempic, making patients who can't afford a weight-loss medication embrace their size instead. Lizzo is known for publicly championing body positivity.
"FDA-approved Lizzo makes you feel good about your weight, and it costs 90% less than Ozempic," a voiceover says during a commercial in the "South Park" special. "In case studies, 70% of patients on Lizzo no longer cared how much they weighed. Lizzo helps you eat everything you want and keep physical activity to a minimum."
Lizzo opened her TikTok by telling fans, "Guys, my worst fear has been actualized. I've been referenced in a 'South Park' episode. I'm so scared."
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She then filmed her reaction to a clip from the episode, becoming visibly stunned and putting her hand over her mouth while watching the faux medical commercial for "Lizzo." After the "South Park" clip ended, Lizzo indicated she was proud to be featured on the show.
Lizzoexplains she's not quitting music after denouncing 'lies being told about me'
"That's crazy," she said, adding that she "really showed the world how to love yourself" to the point that "these men in Colorado," referring to "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, know who she is "and put it on their cartoon that's been around for 25 years."
At the start of the "South Park" episode, Eric Cartman's doctor recommends he go on a weight-loss drug, but Cartman learns it will cost him $1,200 a month because his insurance won't cover it. "Insurance companies only cover the medication for diabetes, not for weight loss, so if you can't afford them, you're just kind of out of luck," the doctor says. As an alternative, he writes Cartman "a prescription for Lizzo."
"She's a really good singer who talks about body positivity and just being happy with the way you look," the doctor says. "I want you to listen to Lizzo five times a day and watch her videos just before bedtime. Oh, and I'm afraid you'll have to be on Lizzo for the rest of your life."
Lizzo lawsuit:Singer sued by dancers for 'demoralizing' weight shaming, sexual harassment
Before 'South Park' episode, Lizzo was sued for harassment and weight shaming
The "South Park" parody comes after Lizzo was sued last year by some of her former dancers, who accused her of harassment and weight shaming.
"How Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing," Ron Zambrano, an attorney for the dancers, told USA TODAY at the time.
Lizzo has denied the allegations. After making headlines in March for posting "I QUIT" on social media, she later clarified that she was not quitting music and instead has "quit giving any negative energy attention."
How to watch 'South Park: The End of Obesity'
"South Park: The End of Obesity" is now streaming on Paramount+.
Contributing: Morgan Hines and Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY