Lizzo Demands Tampons on Tour for Her Team but Often Doesn't Get Them

Lizzo's attempts to look out for the women on her tour often falls on deaf ears.

The Grammy Award-winning singer has suggested she lists tampons as a necessity for her and her team whilst out on tour, but not every venue is accommodating when it comes to feminine products.

Lizzo was discussing life on tour during a manic edition of Day Drinking with Seth and Lizzo, a recurring segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers where he gets drunk with a guest.

They got onto the topic about what Lizzo demands on tour when Meyers asked Lizzo what the most "absurd" thing she has in her rider is.

Lizzo with an inset image of tampons
Lizzo said she requests tampons at tour venues but not everywhere is accommodating for her female team. NDZ/Star Max/LOIC VENANCE/GC Images / AFP via Getty Images

For those who may be unaware, a rider in the entertainment world is a list of demands a team or individual tells a venue they require for a performance, which is fulfilled by the hosting venue. These can be both technical requirements or for hospitality purposes.

"Strangely enough, this isn't absurd, but I did get this response a lot," Lizzo said, responding to Meyers' question. "We just travel with so many women, I would put tampons on the rider, and sometimes we wouldn't get them.

"And I'm like 'who the f*** is," Lizzo continued gesticulating. Meyers agreed that her request was not absurd at all.

In 2019, a source told The Sun newspaper in the U.K. what was included in Lizzo's rider for a gig that summer. The contents included went viral as many people applauded her relatable demands at the time.

"At her last gig she asked for bottles of posh vodka, dozens of doughnuts and hundreds of chicken wings, which are her favorite," the source told The Sun.

In the game Meyers and Lizzo were playing on Late Night, they asked each other difficult questions which if they didn't answer, they had to take a shot.

Meyers asked Lizzo who she thought was more powerful, Beyoncé or Oprah Winfrey, to which Lizzo refused to answer knowing Oprah watched the show. Lizzo was also asked who she thought was the most overrated artist in music right now.

"Are you [...] crazy?" Lizzo replied. "If I say this, it will break the internet. I'm not going to," she said as she picked up a shot.

Previous guests to have overindulged with Meyers in a Day Drinking segment include Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Will Forte, Retta, Lorde and members of his own family. Lizzo previewed her appearance on the segment by sharing a behind the scenes clip of her drinking with host Meyers.

Lizzo is appearing as the musical guest on the upcoming Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live on December 17, with Austin Butler hosting.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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