Disturbing new allegations have come out against Lizzo this week. On Tuesday, some of her former backup dancers filed a lawsuit accusing her of sexual harassment, racial harassment, and creating a hostile work environment, and since the news broke, even more people who once worked with the singer are sharing their stories.
The lawsuit was filed against Lizzo, her touring company, and her dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley.
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Former dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez claimed that Lizzo pressured them to touch nude performers at a club called Bananenbar in Amsterdam where the audience is able to interact with those who are performing, even though Davis said she was “expressing her desire not to touch the performer,” according to legal documents obtained by People .
“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,” the suit alleged.
Davis also accused Lizzo of weight-shaming.
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In the lawsuit, Davis — who competed on the singer’s reality show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls — claimed that Lizzo had been making “thinly veiled concerns” about her weight gain by asking her questions about her commitment to tour.
“Lizzo and Ms. Scott questioned whether Ms. Davis was struggling with something as she seemed less committed to her role on the dance cast. Lizzo and Ms. Scott pressed Ms. Davis for an explanation why she seemed less bubbly and vivacious than she did prior to the tour starting. In professional dance, a dancer’s weight gain is often seen as that dancer getting lazy or worse off as a performer,” the lawsuit claimed, adding that Davis felt pressured to disclose personal information to avoid losing her job.
The lawsuit claims that Lizzo’s dancers were also faced with racial harassment.
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“BGBT’s management team consisted entirely of white Europeans who often accused the Black members of the dance team of being lazy, unprofessional, and having bad attitudes,” read the lawsuit. “Not only do these words ring familiar as tropes used to disparage and discourage Black women from advocating for themselves, but the same accusations were not levied against dancers who are not Black.”
Others have come forward to share similar stories since the lawsuit was filed.
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One of those people is Sophia Nahli Allison, the director who was originally on board to film Lizzo’s documentary but ended up quitting after two weeks.
“I was treated with such disrespect by her. I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is,” Allison wrote in a statement she shared via her Instagram Stories on Tuesday. “My spirit said to run as fast as you f—ing can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gas lit and was deeply hurt, but I’ve healed. Reading these reports made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was. This kind of abuse of power happens far too often. Much love and support to the dancers.”
Lizzo has yet to release a statement on the situation.
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Considering that Lizzo has built her platform on body positivity, these claims are especially disappointing to her fans — something that lawyer Ron Zambrano pointed out in the lawsuit.
“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,” he said.
