Lizzo, an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and musician, has broken her silence and responded to allegations by former dancers that they were sexually harassed, faced discrimination over their weight and religious choices, and suffered a hostile work environment created by her and Shirlene Quigley, captain of her performer’s dance team.
The plaintiffs, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for sexual, religious, and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.
The plaintiffs detailed the treatment meted out to them, which included Lizzo pressuring them to engage in social activities, and forcing them to participate in sexual activities, which included throwing a dildo at a virgin dancer and in another case asking them to eat bananas out of the crotches of nude performers.
According to the plaintiffs, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, and her company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., allegedly created a hostile environment where one dancer soiled herself because she feared losing her job during a 12-hour grueling rehearsal.
But Lizzo, cried foul and rubbished the allegations. In an Instagram post, she stated the following:
“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,” Lizzo said in a response published to Instagram.
Lizzo
She continued, “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.”