It’s a sad day in the entertainment industry as pop star Lizzo — known for celebrating body positivity via her music, clothing line, and online presence — is now the subject of a lawsuit accusing her of sexual harassment and body shaming.
Per NBC News, three of Lizzo’s former dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — have alleged that Lizzo made inappropriate comments regarding a dancer’s weight and shape. In addition, the lawsuit claims the singer helped nurture a “hostile work environment” that permitted sexual exploitation and abusive behavior.
Lizzo has yet to respond to the allegations.
What are the details?
The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Lizzo called attention to a particular dancer’s weight gain, then berated and fired her after the performer recorded a meeting to review later in a “less stressful environment.”
The lawsuit also specifies a trip to an Amsterdam strip club where Lizzo allegedly invited her dancers to touch the performers and simulate oral sex with them by eating bananas at the strippers’ crotch level.
In addition, the suit accuses Shirlene Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance team, of proselytizing in the presence of the dancers and criticizing those who had premarital sex — while also sharing lewd sexual fantasies and publicly discussing the virginity of one of the plaintiffs. At this point, it’s unclear if Lizzo knew about the allegations against Quigley before the suit was filed, though the plaintiffs believe the singer was aware of complaints about the dance captain.
Finally, the suit includes allegations of racism against tour company employees, claiming associates made comments “charged with racial and fat-phobic animus.” According to the filing, the former dancers asked to be compensated for their downtime at a rate of 50% of their regular salary, which an accountant allegedly responded to by saying the dancers were being “unacceptable and disrespectful.” The suit states: “Only the dance cast — comprised of full-figured women of color — were ever spoken to in this manner.”
It’s important to note that not every claim was brought against every defendant named in the lawsuit.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ron Zambrano, offered 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.”
We’ll have more on this developing story once the defendants respond.