- Lizzo issued a statement hitting back at a lawsuit filed against her by three former backup dancers.
- The singer said that the allegations are "outrageous" and "sensationalized."
Lizzo has hit back at a lawsuit filed against her by three of her former backup dancers.
Dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez accused the pop star and her team of body-shaming them, sexual harassment, and — in one case — holding one of the dancers against her will.
In a statement posted on Instagram and Twitter Thursday, Lizzo called the claims "outrageous" and "false."
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"These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing," Lizzo began the statement. "Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed."
The singer continued: "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."
The dancers' attorney Ron Zambrano responded to Lizzo's statement, saying, "Her denial of this reprehensible behavior only adds to our clients' emotional distress. The dismissive comments and utter lack of empathy are quite telling about her character and only serve to minimize the trauma she has caused the plaintiffs and other employees who have now come forward sharing their own negative experiences."
Zambrano added, in his statement shared with Insider, "While Lizzo notes it was never her intention 'to make anyone feel uncomfortable,' that is exactly what she did to the point of demoralizing her dancers and flagrantly violating the law."
The dancers filed the lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc, and Lizzo's dance captain Shirlene Quigley, in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Davis and Williams, who began working with Lizzo in 2021 while filming the star's reality TV show "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," and Rodriguez alleged in the suit that Lizzo sexually harassed the dancers during a night out at a nude club in Amsterdam in February.
The lawsuit alleges that 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."
At one point in the night, Lizzo started a group chant "pressuring" Davis to touch the breasts of one of the performers, even after Davis declined multiple times, the suit alleges. Davis' lawyers said she was "mortified" and eventually agreed to touch the performer to stop the chanting.
Lizzo said in her statement Thursday: "I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world."
The lawsuit also claimed that Lizzo and her choreographer questioned Davis' commitment to the job after the dancer had gained some weight. Davis' lawyers allege that their questions were "thinly veiled concerns about [Davis's] weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to."
Throughout her career, Lizzo has built a public brand of being body positive.
Lizzo said in her statement Thursday: "I take my music and performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make the hard decisions but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren't valued as an important part of the team.
"I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight," the "About Damn Time" singer added.
Multiple women, including an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who said she previously worked with Lizzo, have come forward and shared stories about their own negative experiences with the star since the lawsuit became public.
Director Sophia Nahli Allison wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that Lizzo demonstrated an "abuse of power" during their brief time together.
Davis also told Insider that she wants the lawsuit "to be a wake-up call, for artists and upcoming dancers, to prevent this from happening."