Lizzo has been sued by three of her former backup dancers who have alleged the singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, is confronted with a legal dispute as her former dancers claimed that she commented on their weight and pressured one to touch a nude performer at a strip club.
The lawsuit identifies the plaintiffs as Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, who were former dancers for Lizzo. Both Williams and Davis participated in the recent Amazon Prime reality show called 'Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," which centered around the singer's search for backup dancers.
Lizzo In Trouble
The lawsuit contains a particularly striking claim that the dancers felt compelled, out of fear of losing their jobs, to engage in physical contact with nude performers during a live sex show in Amsterdam's Red Light District. This area is notorious for its prostitution, sex theaters, nude bars, and clubs.
"The main event of the night was a club called Bananenbar, where patrons are allowed to interact with completely nude performers," the lawsuit states.
"While at Bananenbar, things quickly got out of hand. 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.
"Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club. Lizzo began leading a chant goading Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis said three times, loud enough for all to hear, 'I'm good,' expressing her desire not to touch the performer."
The complaint continues, "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."
Who Is to Blame
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that Lizzo once more invited them out without informing them that the destination would be a nude cabaret bar, effectively depriving them of the option to decline participation.
In another specific incident cited in the lawsuit, Quigley, who served as the dance captain and a judge on Lizzo's Amazon reality show "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls" in 2021, is accused of imposing her Christian beliefs on the dancers.
Specifically, after learning that Davis was a virgin, Quigley allegedly discussed the matter regularly, brought it up in interviews, and even shared it on social media, divulging a deeply personal aspect of Davis's life to the public. The lawsuit alleges that Quigley referred to Davis as a "non-believer" and stated, "No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord."
The allegations against Lizzo also involve drawing attention to one dancer's weight gain after reprimanding her for not being dedicated to her role.
"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," the lawsuit states.
"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 the complaint, Davis was terminated in May for recording a meeting during which Lizzo provided feedback to the dancers about their performances. On the other hand, Williams claims that she was publicly dismissed, citing budget cuts as the reason.
However, the lawsuit highlights that no other dancers were fired on the same day. Before her termination, Williams claims she raised her voice at a meeting where Lizzo accused the dancers of consuming alcohol before performances.
Reportedly, Rodriguez expressed her concerns to the manager regarding the decision to publicly fire Williams, stating that Lizzo used this type of intimidation tactic "repeatedly" with dancers.
This alleged behavior came to light during an April 27 meeting when Lizzo informed the team that she had "eyes and ears everywhere," as stated in the complaint. As a consequence of the firings of Davis and Williams, Rodriguez decided to resign from her position.
The dancers' attorney Ron Zambrano, said in a statement: "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."
