Lizzo, 36, sparks fury with ‘out of touch’ Donald Trump statement during ‘biased’ SNL performance: ‘Just awful!’
Lizzo made a bold political statement during her appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend, taking aim at President Donald Trump’s controversial tariffs policy.
The Grammy-winning artist performed wearing a black crop top emblazoned with the word “TARIFFIED” in bold red letters, a clear jab at Trump’s economic policies.
The 36-year-old singer took to the stage on the Jon Hamm-hosted episode, delivering her message against the backdrop of an American flag.
This marked Lizzo’s fourth appearance on the iconic sketch comedy show, having previously hosted and performed in 2022.
Lizzo performed a medley of Love in Real Life and Still Bad during her politically charged appearance.
The performance began with Lizzo wielding an electric guitar before she ditched it to join her backup dancers, all whilst sporting her provocative “TARIFFIED” shirt.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Sir Rod Stewart, 80, makes rare retirement admission as he issues statement: ‘Put on earth to sing!’Mickey Rourke squares up to Chris Hughes in sneak peek at foul-mothed ITV CBB exchange ahead of axeJeremy Clarkson, 65, in fresh row with Kaleb Cooper after he ‘did a runner’ from Diddly Squat
Her outfit was completed with black sequin hot pants adorned with silver stars, fishnet stockings, and red patent leather heels.
The visual statement came as Trump’s administration has imposed tariffs of up to 145 percent on Chinese imports, a policy that has sparked economic concerns.
Fans quickly took to social media to praise Lizzo’s political statement, with several slamming the musician’s stance on the president’s policy and others questioning the need to mix politics with pop culture,
“Tariffs are a tax on big corporations…I thought they were FOR taxing and making corporations pay their ‘fair share’? What am I missing?” one critic posted on X in response to a news article about Lizzo’s performance.
“Another reason why people don’t watch this show!” a second hit out, referring to SNL’s viewing figures while a third raged: “Leftists like Lizzo are so out of touch with reality, using their platform to spread hate and division. America is not tariffied, it’s being made great again by Trump and MAGA supporters like us.”
And a fourth blasted: “Lizzo campaigned for Kamala Harris. She must be Tariffied so bad that she can drop a diss album for Donald Trump. The Tariffs are good for America’s economy. Cry more liberals.”
A fifth took aim at the SNL X account specifically, typing: “Yall suck. Leftist trash. You leave so many good skits and jokes on the floor because of your bias. I mean who gives you better material than the left and all their bathing craziness? Just awful.”
There was some support for Lizzo’s political grandstanding, however, with one supporter penning: “Lizzo’s ‘TARRIFIED’ shirt on SNL was a vibe! Shading Trump’s tariffs like that? Bold move, queen! Fans are buzzing, but haters gonna hate.” (sic)
Lizzo has a history of criticising Trump. Last October, she appeared at a campaign rally for then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
At the Michigan event, she responded to Trump’s comments comparing Detroit to a “developing nation”.
“Proud like Detroit, resilient like Detroit. We’re talking about the same Detroit that innovated the auto industry and the music industry, so put some respect on Detroit’s name!” she declared.
Following Harris’s defeat in the November election, Lizzo shared a brief but heartfelt message on social media, sending “LOVE to everyone in the WORLD”.
Her SNL appearance continues her pattern of using her platform for political expression.
During the show’s curtain call, Lizzo made an additional political statement, appearing alongside host Hamm and guest Kieran Culkin in a different shirt that read “BLACK WOMEN WERE RIGHT”.
This second message appeared to reference the demographic that has consistently voted against Trump in elections.
The statements came as Trump continues to impose tariffs on multiple countries, policies that critics argue are negatively impacting the American economy.
Lizzo is far from the only celebrity to publicly take aim at Trump’s tariff policies too, with Whoopi Goldberg hitting headlines last week for her comments on The View.
Speaking on the US talk show, Goldberg suggested American citizens should “pay more tax” and “suck it up” if they see their area in need.
Goldberg claimed the Trump administration couldn’t be relied upon amid the tariff changes and urged members of the public to take matters into their own hands.