Lizzo made a playful reference to Ariana DeBose’s viral rap at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards, during a concert in Amsterdam last night (February 23).
The actor, best known for starring in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, performed an original song at the ceremony earlier this week that name-checked various Best Actress nominees including Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh.
“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my Woman King, Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang the West Side Story star as she danced around the stage. After the performance was widely mocked online, DeBose deactivated her Twitter account and BAFTAs awards producer Nick Bullen described the criticism as “incredibly unfair.”
Last night, Lizzo drew huge cheers as she joked: “Let’s shake it off! Angela Bassett did the thing, shake it off!” before copying DeBose’s shoulder shimmy at a concert at the Ziggo Dome. “Angela Bassett did the thang, Yeah!” You can view footage below.
@robynflorence I lost my voice but worth bc Angela Bassett did the thing @lizzo #lizzo #lizzoamsterdam #angelabassett
During her set, Lizzo also performed a host of tracks from her recent album ‘Special’ including ‘2 Beloved (Am I Ready)’, ‘The Sign’, ‘About Damn Time’ and ‘Grrrls’.
She also covered Chaka Khan‘s ‘I’m Every Woman’ and Lauryn Hill‘s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’.
Meanwhile, DeBose has since responded to various memes following her viral rap on her Instagram account. In a post which refers to the line “Angela Bassett did the thing”, DeBose commented: “Honestly I love this.”
DeBose also responded to a fan on her Instagram Stories, who wrote “I hope she does the thing” over a picture of her upcoming show at the London Palladium. With a laughing emoji, she shared the post and wrote: “Get tickets & find out.”
Elsewhere, Lizzo recently treated Sesame Street‘s Cookie Monster to a flute-shaped cookie on the US children’s TV show.
The post Watch Lizzo poke fun at Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTA rap at concert in Amsterdam appeared first on NME.
