Reason Lizzo was excused from jury duty revealed - and it has nothing to do with her fame

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and SONIA HORON, US ASSISTANT SHOWBIZ EDITOR Published: 05:40, 4 April 2026 | Updated: 05:51, 4 April 2026 The reason pop star Lizzo was dismissed from jury duty in Los Angeles has been revealed - and it was not because she is a celebrity.  The star, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, 37, was excused because she has previously expressed anti-ICE views, which she admitted meant she could be 'neither fair nor impartial' as a juror.  A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office told the New York Post that she was rejected because her views made her inadmissible as the case was against a man accused of assaulting an ICE agent.  The Grammy Award-winning musician had been considered for the trial of Luis Dalhet Hipolito, who faced a felony count of assault against a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.  Prosecutors accused Hipolito of hitting an ICE agent in the face at an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles in June, alleging he cut the agent's face and broke his glasses.  But after Lizzo was rejected from his jury, Hipolito's short trial ended in him being acquitted on all charges on Wednesday.  The star made no secret of being called for jury duty, as she documented her day at the courthouse for her 11.5 million Instagram followers throughout the proceedings.  This included showing off her 'jury duty fit', sharing a picture in a bathroom to highlight her dramatic weight loss and all-black outfit. Lizzo was dismissed from jury duty for a case against a man accused of assaulting an immigration officer due to her anti-ICE views, it has emerged  Lizzo shared a number of images from her day at the courthouse, including a selfie of herself holding her jury summons While being famous doesn't exempt stars from being called for jury duty, many celebrities end up getting dismissed during jury selection as their fame might influence the case or other jurors.  But in Lizzo's case, officials said it was down to her anti-ICE political views, which prosecutors believed would make her unfit to serve on the jury.  The singer took to her Instagram and shared a carousel of photos and videos from the day, with the caption, 'Jury Duty & Dinner.' The first clip, taken in a bathroom, saw Lizzo showing off the sophisticated all-black outfit she wore to court. It featured a black top from her Yitty line tucked into a pair of silk black custom Sami Miro pants. She completed the look with a long black Saint Laurent coat, a layered Chanel pearl necklace and black Louboutin heels. Lizzo also shared a selfie of herself holding her jury summons. The singer shared videos of her 'jury duty fit' and a photo of her posing in front of the courthouse in an Instagram post with the caption, 'Jury Duty & Dinner' The star, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, 37, was excused because she has previously expressed anti-ICE views, which she admitted meant she could be 'neither fair nor impartial' as a juror After the star shared a string of pictures from her day at the trial, including one posing on the courthouse steps, fans were amused by the idea of the big name sitting on jury duty.  One commented, 'Imagine walking into court and Lizzo is giving you 15 to life.' 'Lol having jury duty as a celebrity is so funny,' another chimed in. 'How was the trial? It was great! Oh so you got off? Nah I'm guilty but Lizzo was on the jury,' someone else joked. 'Imagine doing jury duty with Lizzo lol.' 'I didn't know celebrities still did jury duty. How are the other jurors not fanning out,' someone else questioned. Alongside previously expressing anti-ICE views, Lizzo has also shared criticisms of the police.   In 2020, Lizzo was among a group of celebrities who signed an open letter calling for the defunding of police departments in the United States. She also spoke about it via an Instagram post in June that year, writing, '"Defund the police sounds radical until you realize we've been defunding education for years” ➖ Abolish the police does NOT mean Abolish law enforcement.' 'Defund the police means give some of those BILLIONS of tax dollars to healthcare/workers, social services, communities that need funding, education etc.. we can reimagine a better country where law enforcement does what it’s supposed to do!' Aside from her fame, Lizzo's past criticism of the police may have also led to her dismissal, especially given that the case involved an assault on a federal officer Though most stars are dismissed from jury duty due to their fame, Oprah Winfrey served on a 2004 Chicago murder trial; She is seen arriving for jury duty  Meanwhile, Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt was famously dismissed from a jury in 2014 because he was thought to be 'too much of a distraction' to the other jurors; Pitt seen in 2014 While many A-listers end up getting dismissed from jury duty, it's not always the case. In 2004, Oprah Winfrey was a juror in a first-degree murder case in Chicago. 'It's a huge reality check—when your life intersects with others in this way, it is forever changed,' Winfrey said about the experience, as per Vogue. Meanwhile, Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt was famously dismissed from a jury in 2014 because he was thought to be 'too much of a distraction' to the other jurors. Other stars who have been called on but ended up getting dismissed include Taylor Swift, Madonna, President Donald Trump as well as former President Barack Obama. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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