Three backup dancers for Lizzo have filed a lawsuit against the singer, alleging sexual harassment and a toxic work environment. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Lizzo and her production company, Lizzo Bangers, as defendants.
The three backup dancers are suing Lizzo, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. and Lizzo’s dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley.
The three dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — in the suit allege that Lizzo pressured them to engage with nude performers at an Amsterdam club in February of 2023.
“Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers,” the filing states, per Associated Press. During the sexually themed show in Amesterdam’s Red Light District, the “Good as Hell” hitmaker allegedly led a chant pressuring Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club, despite the dancer “expressing her desire not to touch the performer,” People noted.
“Finally, the chorus became overwhelming, and a mortified Ms. Davis acquiesced in an attempt to bring an end to the chants,” the complaint states, the outlet noted. “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.”
Another part of the filing reads: “… things quickly got out of hand. Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers,” and interacting with objects “launched” from the performers’ vaginas, Page Six noted.
“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 … absolutely demoralizing,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement.
Lizzo’s former creative director Quinn Whitney Wilson and dancer Courtney Hollinquest posted messages on social media showing support for the dancers, Page Six noted.
“I’m not apart of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there…” Hollinquest wrote. “I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to light.”
Lizzo forced dancers to ‘eat bananas’ from sex workers’ vaginas during Amsterdam trip: bombshell lawsuit https://t.co/i7cAwDeCPz pic.twitter.com/z0an9AKkJI
— New York Post (@nypost) August 1, 2023
