Singer and body positivity advocate Lizzo has been accused by three of her former dancers of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment, and religious harassment in a lawsuit filed earlier this week.
The lawsuit, filed by former dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, alleges a disturbing series of incidents involving Lizzo and her production company, as well as the dance captain, Shirlene Quigley. The allegations, if proven true, contradict the very image of empowerment and positivity that Lizzo has long championed in her public persona.
Quigley was accused of religious harassment by the dancers. According to the lawsuit, Quigley repeatedly preached her Christian beliefs to the performers and “took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations.” She even went so far as to discuss the virginity of one of the plaintiffs in interviews and on social media, causing significant discomfort and humiliation.
The lawsuit also accuses Quigley of deriding performers who engaged in premarital sex while sharing lewd sexual fantasies and openly discussing the plaintiffs’ faith. Yet allegedly when cast members asked her to stop pressuring the performers’ about their faith, Quigley said, “No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.”
According to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ron Zambrano, the dancers believed that Lizzo was aware of their complaints about Quigley.
In addition to the religious harassment claim, the former dancers allege that Lizzo not only regularly subjected them to inappropriate treatment but also pressured one of them to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club during an afterparty, which the dancers describe as a common event that some performers felt compelled to attend to secure their job positions.
The accusations against Lizzo extend beyond sexual harassment, as the dancers claim they faced racial harassment from touring company employees, with comments that were described as being “charged with racial and fat-phobic animus.” Furthermore, they alleged that Lizzo targeted one dancer’s weight gain after an appearance at the South by Southwest music festival, using thinly veiled remarks about her commitment to her role.
Despite Lizzo’s public persona of empowering and celebrating body positivity, the plaintiffs claim that behind the scenes, the singer engaged in weight-shaming her dancers. Moreover, the suit alleges that Lizzo created a hostile work environment by subjecting the dancers to an “excruciating” audition based on false accusations that they were drinking on the job.
Representatives for Lizzo and her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., have yet to respond to the allegations.
