Music superstar Lizzo – who was just recently on our shores for her ‘Special’ tour – is being sued by three of her former dancers.
According to ABC, the dancers are alleging that the musician created a ‘hostile work environment’, through alleged sexual, racial and religious harassment, and weight-shaming, between 2021-2023. The lawsuit was filed on 1 August by former dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez.
The lawsuit, per NBC News, alleges that Lizzo pressured one of her dancers to touch a nude performer at a club in Amsterdam, called out another’s weight gain, and then later fired a dancer for recording a meeting due to a health condition.
The news of Lizzo – an artist known by many as a champion of love, body positivity and acceptance – having these kinds of claims against her is shocking fans as it hits social media. Filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, who dropped out as director of Lizzo’s 2019 documentary, made a statement of her own – separate to the lawsuit.
“I was treated with such disrespect by her,” Sophia wrote on Instagram. “I witnessed how arrogant, self-centred and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a sh.tty situation with little support.”
Sharing this because validating other Black women's experiences is deeply important to me. pic.twitter.com/gd2xEK6szq
— Sophia Nahli Allison (@SophiaNAllison) August 1, 2023
“Reading these reports made me realise how dangerous of a situation it was. This kind of abuse of power happens far too often.”
Beyonce fans noticed that during a recent performance of ‘Break My Soul’ at her ‘Renaissance’ tour, in a moment where she normally name-drops Lizzo among a list of powerful women, Beyonce skipped Lizzo’s name.
Lizzo’s dance caption Shirlene Quigley is also mentioned in the lawsuit, for allegedly attempting to religiously convert other performers and even sharing inappropriate sexual fantasies.
At the time of writing, Lizzo and Shirlene Quigley are yet to formally speak out on the lawsuit.
