In the space of a week, Lizzo has gone from a widely popular performer without any black marks against her name to public persona non grata following a lawsuit leveled against her from former members of her dance troupe over claims of sexual harassment, body-shaming, and cultivating a hostile working environment. The Grammy-winning rapper has strenuously denied the allegations, as outlined in a social media post in which she labeled the accusations as “false” and “unbelievable.”
As you’d expect, certain other celebrities came out in Lizzo’s defense in the comments to her Instagram post, including Perez Hilton, Marc Jacobs, and Selma Blair. Jameela Jamil, known to Marvel fans as Titania in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, is another, sending the singer a row of heart emojis. This action has led Jamil to be criticized for showing support for Lizzo before the full facts of the case become clear. In response, Jamil hit back at the “perverse and disgusting” backlash she has seen against Lizzo in the wake of the allegations.
Unfortunately for the actress and activist, this whole situation has ended up echoing what turned out to be a surprisingly prophetic scene from the reboot of a beloved series that was consigned to the content trashcan after just 22 episodes. In case you didn’t watch HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot (which, let’s be honest, applies to most people), one scene involves Emily Alyn Lynd’s character saying the line: “It gets worse. Jameela Jamil just defended you.”
The jab at Jamil in Gossip Girl speaks to the star’s reputation for putting her foot in it with her outspoken use of social media. Most recently, The Good Place veteran earned ire with her suggestion that awards shows introduce a specific non-binary actor category rather than eradicating gendered categories altogether, as has become the more popular campaign.
In the end, then, it looks like the Gossip Girl reboot is going to get the last laugh over She-Hulk, given that the one-season Disney Plus wonder is highly unlikely to get renewed after Jamil’s co-star Tatiana Maslany channeled her savage MCU alter ego when tearing studio boss Bob Iger a new one.