Singer Lizzo has been sued by three of her former dancers who accused the Grammy winner of sexual harassment, weight shaming, assault, and more.
The civil lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims Lizzo pressured her dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam, then shamed one of them for gaining weight before ultimately firing her.
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Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez made numerous allegations including those of sexual, religious and racial harassment as well as disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.
The three former dancers filed nine different complaints directed at Lizzo, her production team and dance captain, Shirlene Quigley:
- Hostile work environment
- Failure to prevent and/or remedy hostile work environment
- Religious harassment
- Failure to prevent and/or remedy religious harassment
- Racial harassment
- Disability discrimination
- Intentional interference with prospective economic
- Assault
- False imprisonment
According to Yahoo! Entertainment, two allege that they were pressured into nude photoshoots while another dancer claimed to have been “nearly assaulted by Lizzo.”
“The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing,” attorney Ron Zambrano, a partner at West Coast Employment Lawyers, said on behalf of the three women.
Arianna Davis claims that one night in February, when the group visited the Red Light District in Amsterdam after a show, Davis was pressured in many ways. Lizzo allegedly “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,” the suit says. “Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.”
When it came to the weight shaming allegation, dancers were forced to re-audition after the European tour.
Davis claimed she previously disclosed to Lizzo and BGBT she struggled with anxiety, depression and binge eating. Days later, Lizzo called Davis into a private meeting with the choreographer, Tanisha Scott, who questioned why she “seemed less bubbly and vivacious than she did prior to the tour starting.
“Ms. Davis explained her diagnoses and struggles but made it clear that in spite of her mental health struggles, she was still committed to the tour and performing to the top of her capabilities. In response, Lizzo and Ms. Scott dismissively offered Ms. Davis time off of rehearsals to attend therapy,” the complaint continued. Davis felt if she were to accept the offer, she’d lose her job, so she declined and continued to perform.
During a performance in Australia, the singer said: “The words that we say have a long-lasting effect on people,” as she consoled a fan that she brought up on stage after sharing she was being bullied online. Oh, the irony.
The entire lawsuit seems to be riddled with irony as the singer who openly promotes body positivity and “fat acceptance” to millions of fans is the very same person facing allegations of abusive behavior, including “fat shaming.”
Davis and Williams performed with Lizzo after competing on her Amazon reality show “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” in 2021, according to the suit. The dancers were fired in April and May. Rodriguez was hired the same year after performing in the video “Rumors” but resigned earlier this year.
The three women are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and requested a jury trial.
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