Lizzo Sued by Former Dancers Who Allege Singer of Sexual Harassment & Hostile Work Environment
Grammy-winning singer Lizzo is being sued by three of her former dancers as they accuse the performer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
Among the lawsuit’s various and alarming accusations is the singer forcing one of these dancers to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club and subjecting the group to an “excruciating” audition after leveling false claims that they were drinking while working. Additionally, the dancers accuse Lizzo, known to embrace body positivity, of calling attention to one dancer’s weight gain and firing the dancer after she recorded a meeting because of a health condition.
Religion reportedly also comes into play as NBC News shared the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and provided by the plaintiff’s law firm. The suit alleges that the captain of Lizzo’s dance team was proselytizing (trying to convert individuals’ religious views) to other performers and berated individuals who had premarital sex while openly discussing the virginity of one of the plaintiffs.
(Credit: Timothy Norris/Getty Images)
The suit doesn’t define whether or not Lizzo knew about the allegations against her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, but according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ron Zambrano, they believe the singer was aware of complaints surrounding the woman.
Lizzo, whose official name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, was named as a defendant alongside Quigley, but not all accusations were applied to each defendant. Among the official suit are accusations of a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, religious and racial harassment, and false imprisonment.
“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,” Zambrano shared in a statement.
The three former dancers behind the lawsuit are Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams, both of whom began performing after competing on Lizzo’s Prime Video reality series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. They were both fired. The third, Noelle Rodriguez, was hired the same year as Davis and Williams but ultimately resigned from her position earlier this year.
Since the allegations came to light, some of Lizzo’s former colleagues seemingly corroborate the plaintiff’s claims. Courtney Hollinquest, another former dancer, took to Instagram stories to say, “For clarification, I’m not part of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there. Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light.”
In response to Hollinquest’s story, Quinn Wilson, another former dancer, responded on her Instagram story, writing, “echoing what @cquestt said. I haven’t been a part of that world for around three years, for a reason. I very much applaud the dancers’ courage to bring this to light. And I grieve parts of my own experience. I’d appreciate space to understand my feelings.”
