The allegations against Lizzo continue to grow as more complaints about her work environment come to light. Lawyers representing the former backup dancers for the “Truth Hurts” singer are currently reviewing complaints from at least six other individuals who have experienced what they describe as a “toxic” work environment. The conduct by Lizzo, according to the attorneys, has been deemed “outrageous.”
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Lawyers representing one of the plaintiffs, Neama Rahmani, have expressed concerns over the alleged toxic work environment that Lizzo created. They have stated that they are vetting new allegations from six people who have toured with Lizzo and other dancers who have worked with her on her Amazon Studios show, Watch Out For The Big Grrrls.
Attorney Robert Zambrano, whose firm specializes in employment law, oversees the legal review process. According to Zambrano, the allegations include a “sexually charged environment” and failure to pay employees.
However, he also mentioned that not all claims are actionable. On August 8, Zambrano emphasized, “Some of the claims we are reviewing may be actionable, but it is too soon to say.”
One specific allegation mentioned by Zambrano involves the “Rumors” singer weight-shaming a dancer after an appearance at the South by Southwest Music Festival. Allegedly, Lizzo remarked during a meeting that it was “normal” for dancers to gain weight when they get fired.
This incident adds to previous claims of “fat shaming” behavior by Lizzo towards her backup dancers. Another former dancer accused the singer of pressuring her to touch a nude performer at a strip club, making her uncomfortable. These allegations and others paint a picture of a work environment that many found unpleasant and unprofessional.
Lizzo’s spokesperson has not commented on the new list of allegations. However, Lizzo has previously responded to similar accusations, dismissing them as “false” and “unbelievable.”
Updated By: Chris Samuel (8/9/23 at 5:00 pm)
Lizzo, the popular singer known for her body positivity and empowering music, has broken her silence after several former employees accused her of creating a hostile work environment. Recently, multiple ex-employees alleged that they had experienced weight shaming and sexual harassment while working with the “Rumors” singer. These allegations have sparked a wave of controversy and brought attention to the artist’s treatment of her team.
Lizzo has broken her silence after several former employees spoke out about their experiences working with the popular singer. In August 2023, ex-employees accused Lizzo of weight shaming, sexual harassment, and creating a hostile work environment.
The allegations have been met with mixed reactions, with some standing in support of Lizzo and others demanding accountability.
Taking to Twitter, Lizzo addressed the allegations head-on, stating:
“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.”
Lizzo also emphasized her passion for her art and performances, noting:
“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 that represents me and my fans.”
She expressed that her high standards and commitment to excellence sometimes required difficult decisions but insisted that she never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable or undervalued as part of her team.
Since the allegations surfaced, a video featuring one of the plaintiffs, Arianna Davis, has emerged. In the video, Davis is heard praising Lizzo, but later, she stated, “I just genuinely wanted to save my job.” This has raised questions about the credibility and motivations behind the allegations.
Among the resurfaced content is a clip from a 2019 interview with radio DJ Frank van der Lender. Lizzo expressed excitement about visiting the “banana sex show at the Bananenbar Bar” in Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
Lizzo’s comment, “ I need to get my potassium, if you know what I mean,” raised eyebrows.
🔥🚨DEVELOPING: Lizzo spoke about her excitement for the now-infamous banana sex show at the Bananenbar Bar in Amsterdam’s Red Light District during a 2019 interview with local radio DJ, Frank van der Lende. pic.twitter.com/ipKmNeiAKs
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) August 2, 2023
Lizzo’s legal team is confident she will be vindicated of all allegations. The singer has built a substantial following through her empowering music and body-positive message, and many fans continue to support her through this difficult time.
Updated by Kynedei Hobbs on August 3rd, 2023.
Lizzo is facing lawsuits from three former dancers who accuse her of weight shaming, sexual harassment, and creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuits, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, allege that the singer pressured one dancer to touch a nude performer, subjected the group to an exhausting audition, and engaged in inappropriate behavior. These allegations contradict Lizzo’s image and highlight the discrepancies between her public persona and her alleged treatment of her employees.
In the lawsuits brought by the three former dancers, the famous singer and performer known for promoting body positivity are accused of weight shaming, sexual harassment, and creating a hostile work environment.
The dancers claim that Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, called “attention to one dancer’s weight gain” and later criticized and fired the dancer after she recorded a meeting “because of a health condition.” The dancer, identified as Arianna Davis, alleges Lizzo called the dancer’s weight to attention after an appearance at South by Southwest Music Festival.
The singer and her choreographer later told Davis that she seemed “less committed” to her role, described in the suit as a “thinly veiled” concern about Davis’ weight. Days later, Lizzo held an emergency meeting and had security employees confiscate dancers’ phones, the suit states.
The suit also alleges false imprisonment against Lizzo’s production company because a member of her security detail allegedly forced Davis to remain in the room after the meeting ended so he could search her phone for the video.
According to the lawsuit, Davis and another former dancer and plaintiff, Crystal Williams, began performing with Lizzo after competing on her Amazon reality show, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in 2021 before the dancers were fired. The third dancer named a plaintiff in the lawsuit, Noelle Rodriguez, was hired the same year after performing in the video “Rumors.” However, Rodriguez later resigned earlier that same year.
The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and provided to NBC News by the plaintiffs’ law firm. Aside from accusations of a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, racial harassment, interference with prospective economic advantage, and other allegations, it also accuses the captain of Lizzo’s dance team, known as Shirline Quigley, of “proselytizing to other performers and deriding those who had premarital sex while sharing lewd sexual fantasies, simulating oral sex and publicly discussing the virginity of one of the plaintiffs.”
According to the suit, she preached her Christian beliefs and “took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations.” After discovering that Davis was a virgin, Quigley discussed the subject in interviews and posted about it on social media, the suit says.
In addition, when cast members asked her to stop pressuring Rodriguez (whom Quigley regarded as a “non-believer,”) about her faith, Quigley responded: “No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.” However, not every claim was brought against each defendant.
The suit mentions the trip to the Amsterdam strip club, Bananenbar, which came after a performance in the city earlier this year. The lawsuit states that Lizzo’s afterparties were “routine and nonmandatory” but claims that those who attended were favored by the singer and had greater job security.
The suit claims:
“Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed.” A week later, Lizzo invited her dancers to a club so “they would be able to learn something or be inspired by the performance,” the suit says. “What Lizzo failed to mention when inviting the dancers to this performance was that it was a nude cabaret bar.” The plaintiffs were “shocked that Lizzo would conceal the nature of the event from them, robbing them of the choice not to participate.”
At the club, 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.”
According to the suit, Davis declined, and Lizzo allegedly led a chant urging her to do it. Davis declined thrice before the chant “grew louder and more strident, demanding a visibly uncomfortable Ms. Davis to engage with the performer.” When Davis eventually caved in and subtly touched the performer, the group “burst into laughter.” Afterward, Lizzo allegedly pressed a security staff member to get on stage and began yelling, “take it off.”
Crystal Williams lost her job on April 26 in a hotel lobby, five days following an incident where she spoke up at a meeting, in which she challenged a false accusation from Lizzo that the dancers were drinking before performances. The manager attributed the termination to budget cuts, said the suit, which noted that no one else was fired.
Before the dancer was relieved of her duties, Lizzo had told the group that they would have to audition again, which the suit described as an “excruciating” 12-hour rehearsal. The dancers would be “fired and sent home” if Lizzo was dissatisfied with their performances.
During the rehearsal, Davis was so fearful she’d lose her job if she went to the bathroom she soiled her pants and was given a see-through outfit with no undergarments to finish the audition. When Lizzo spoke on the issue again the next day, Williams said the dancers didn’t drink. Lizzo then allegedly offered what the suit describes as a mocking reply: “Well if you’re not, then good for y’all.”
Rodriguez complained to the manager about the decision to publicly fire Williams — a move that Lizzo “repeatedly” raised with the dancers during an April 27 meeting. She told the group that she had “eyes and ears everywhere,” according to the suit. Davis recorded the April 27 meeting because she “suffered from an eye condition that sometimes left her disoriented in stressful situations.”
The racial harassment claim is linked to what the suit describes as “comments charged with racial and fat-phobic animus,” made by touring company employees. The former dancers asked to be compensated for their downtime at 50% of their weekly pay when an accountant allegedly responded to the request by offering 25% and scolding them for being “unacceptable and disrespectful.” “Only the dance cast — comprised of full-figured women of color — were ever spoken to in this manner,” the suit states.
Lizzo’s former creative director, not named in the suit, Courtney Quest, agreed that her experience was similar to that of the three plaintiffs. Another past member, Quinn Wilson, chimed in and said she’s still grieving from the situation which she walked away from three years ago, but she “applaud[s] the dancers courage to shine light” on the matter.
Sophia Nahli, a director who was brought on board Lizzo’s team to direct her documentary claimed on Twitter she walked away after two weeks after witnessing how “arrogant and self-centered” the singer is, and claimed she was “gaslit and deeply hurt,” but is now healed. She stands in solidarity with the dancers and gives them “much love and support.”
The suit does not specify a dollar amount for damages that cover emotional distress, including unpaid wages, loss of earnings, and attorney’s fees. The defendants, Jefferson and Quigley, have denied to comment on the lawsuits. Lizzo’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., hasn’t responded to the allegations either.
These allegations are shocking, considering Lizzo’s public commitment to body positivity and empowerment. The lawsuits raise questions about the authenticity of Lizzo’s message and the treatment of her employees behind the scenes. The dancers seek compensation for emotional distress, unpaid wages, and attorney’s fees.
For a positive note about Lizzo, the singer has launched the Sasha Be Flooting Music Scholarship, which aims to provide opportunities for music students at the University of Houston. The scholarship, valued at $50,000, supports aspiring musicians in pursuing their dreams.
Just as Lizzo faces lawsuits over her treatment of dancers, another prominent musician, Kanye West, is facing legal trouble of his own. A gym teacher at his Donda Academy has filed a lawsuit claiming inadequate health and safety measures at the school, raising concerns about the well-being of students and employees.
Originally written by Aveon Sims on August 2nd, 2023.
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