"Why is she trying to pit them against each other"— Fans divided as Lizzo says Britney Spears does a Janet Jackson impression

Singer Lizzo is making headlines after stating that Britney Spears impersonates Janet Jackson. During an appearance on the Sibling Rivalry podcast on April 1, the Pink singer remarked:

“Here is why I said Janet Jackson is the Queen of Pop: Britney Spears is doing a Janet impression, and she said it..”

This 6-second-long portion of the podcast was uploaded by @breatheonmiley on April 4 on X, who wrote in the caption:

“Nobody thinks of THE Britney Spears as a Janet Jackson impersonator. She literally crafted her own sound and imagery at 16 and became the blueprint for every new pop girl. Worry about your career lasting one summer and your latest tweet not even crossing 100 likes @lizzo…”

Once the video went viral, netizens took to the post's comment section and condemned Lizzo for the comment. One asked why she was trying to pit Britney and Janet against each other.

“Like why is she trying to pit them against each other,” wrote one netizen.

Other users have shared similar sentiments regarding the situation, as many criticized her for the comment. One person stated that Britney has nothing in common with Janet, while another mentioned that Lizzo should focus on her own releases.

“She cannot be serious… Britney has always loved and been inspired by Janet, but she’s always been in her own lane,” one wrote.

“Janet was a huge influence performing wise but other than that they don’t have much in common.. I can’t imagine anyone listening to BOMT, Oops, POM, Womanizer, Circus, TTWE, etc and finding any resemblances with Janet at all,” stated another X user.

“She should be more concerned about how nothing she’s releasing is even charting on the Hot 100, even with the radio payola she’s pumping into “Still Bad”, commented one user.

On the other hand, many netizens supported Lizzo’s comment. One user noted that Britney allegedly accepted a similar situation, while another mentioned that her performances are inspired by Janet.

“Yes we do EVEN SHE THINKS OF HERSELF AS ONE,” one user wrote.

“But Britney herself said it,” noted one user.

“Britney Spears definitely emulated Janet on stage. Anybody with eyes can see how much Janet inspired her. Let’s not be dense,” another one said.

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Lizzo justifies her 2021 post calling Janet Jackson the "Queen of Pop”

Besides her remarks on Britney Spears during the podcast, Lizzo also addressed her 2021 X post in which she called Jackson the "Queen of Pop."

In the April 1 podcast with former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change, Lizzo asserted that while pop music icons like Madonna and Cher have significantly influenced the genre, Janet Jackson was the first pop diva to pave the way for others, including Britney Spears.

After Bob assured that the queen is Madonna, Lizzo asserted once again that:

"We like Madonna, but I must make a few clarifications. People hurled themselves at me when I said that Janet Jackson was the pop queen…Janet is her diva. There were no such things as pop divas before Janet. Janet was first. She was famous when Madonna was a kid watching her on television. And I'm just putting it out there…”

She went on to say that she "felt like I was just fighting for my life because people were dragging me by my ankles" due to the earlier remarks. However, she reiterated:

“It's not because someone is better than the other. She was just first, and she is Janet. She invented this sh*t.. Madonna is the pop icon."

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Following the remarks, Britney Spears has yet to comment.