The defense tried to use lifestyle against her. Defense attorney George Mgdesyan grilled Megan about why she “continued to party” with Lanez after the shooting. This is a common abuse myth: Why would a victim stay near their abuser? The answer, which trauma experts have explained endlessly, is that abuse creates a traumatic bond. Lanez’s lifestyle—the parties, the studio sessions, the shared friends—formed a cage that Megan couldn’t easily escape.

While fans streamed “The Color Violet” and reminisced about 80s nostalgia, Megan Thee Stallion was suffering online lynching. Lanez’s associates, including an individual named Milagro Gramz (who later apologized), spread fabricated stories that Megan had slept with her best friend’s boyfriend, or that she lied because she was “jealous” of Lanez’s success.

His lifestyle content blurred the lines between reality and performance. On Instagram Live, Lanez was manic, drunk on success, often brandishing firearms or boasting about sexual conquests. For fans, it was raw and unfiltered. For critics, it was a blueprint for coercive control.