Lizzo has issued a long statement in response to a slew of startling claims regarding her behind-the-scenes behaviour.
Three of the Juice singer’s former backup dancers filed a sexual harassment, discrimination, and false imprisonment complaint against the celebrity.
Melissa Jefferson, the Grammy-winning pianist, was also accused of weight-shaming and even forcing one dancer to touch another performer’s breasts.
Fans were taken aback by the shocking revelations, especially because Lizzo, 35, has been a vocal advocate for body positivity after being bullied over her weight.
Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams, two of the dancers, were hired by Lizzo after participating on her reality programme, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in 2021, but were both sacked. Noella Rodriguez, the third dancer, was recruited the same year but quit in 2023.
One dancer said in the case, which was filed earlier this week, that they were forced into touching a naked performer at a club in Amsterdam earlier this year, and that those who did attend felt ‘favoured’ by the singer.
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During the outing, it’s alleged that Lizzo ‘began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas’, before she ‘began pressuring Ms Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.’
When she declined, the Special singer is said to have led a chant and goaded her, after which a ‘visibly uncomfortable Ms Davis [engaged] with the performer.’
According to the complaint acquired by NBC News, she then reportedly pushed a member of her security team onto the platform, demanding “take it off!”
Lizzo was also accused of making weight-related remarks to Davis after their performance at the SXSW festival, and of telling the dancer that she appeared ‘less devoted’ to her part.
The documents, also seen by Variety, state: ‘In professional dance, a dancer’s weight gain is often seen as that dancer getting lazy or worse off as a performer. Lizzo’s and Ms Scott’s questions about Ms Davis’s commitment to the tour were thinly veiled concerns about Ms Davis’s weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to after noticing it at the South by Southwest music festival.
‘Although Lizzo and Ms Scott never explicitly stated it, these questions accompanied by Lizzo’s statements made after the South by Southwest music festival gave Ms Davis the impression that she needed to explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job.’
According to another portion of the lawsuit, Lizzo accused the dancers of imbibing alcohol before the concerts and “not performing up to standard.”
Rodriguez allegedly told Lizzo before leaving the meeting that she felt disrespected by the action and stated her intention to leave. The artist is alleged to have reacted by ‘cracking her knuckles and balling her fists’ and using an obscenity to tell Rodriguez she was ‘fortunate,’ before uttering a slur and waving both middle fingers as the dancer walked away.
The dancers are suing for emotional anguish, unpaid salaries, lost earnings, and attorney’s fees in connection with the accusations, which include sexual, religious, and racial harassment, handicap discrimination, and false imprisonment – but no dollar number has been specified.
Lizzo has subsequently addressed the charges in a message uploaded to her Instagram page on August 3, expressing her “hurt” at the claims.
She began: ‘These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized.
‘Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.’
The musician continued: ‘These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.’
Lizzo went on to explain how she is ‘passionate’ about her work as an artist and strives for ‘high standards.’ She stated how she doesn’t want to be ‘looked at as a victim’ but also ‘know[s] that [she’s] not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.’
‘I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not,’ she said.
The popstar added: ‘I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.’
‘I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time,’ she concluded.
Others who have worked with Lizzo have also come out with their own claims about their encounters, including an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who accused the singer of ‘gaslighting.’
Beyonce also looked to have deleted Lizzo’s name from a phrase she typically sings on her Renaissance tour, but Halo hitmaker Tina Knowles has hinted this was not the case, saying in a social media post: ‘She also didn’t utter her own sister’s name.’
Lizzo’s statement in full
‘These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized.
‘Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.’
‘These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.
‘As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do.
‘I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art than represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards.
‘Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team. I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.
‘I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world.
I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.
I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.’
Source My Celebrity Life.
