Fallout From Lizzo Controversy

In a complaint filed on August 1st, three of Lizzo's former dancers they claimed that the singer had harassed them sexually and fostered a toxic work environment. Credit: Daniel Zuchnik via Getty Images

In a lawsuit filed on August 1st, Grammy award-winning singer Lizzo was charged with sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. These allegations were made by three dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. Following that, former employees of the singer shared previous similar encounters with the pop star.

Lizzo, her production business, and the leader of her dance squad are named as defendants in the complaint. The three dancers accused Lizzo of harassing them based on their sex, race, religion, and other characteristics. 

Given that Lizzo is well known for supporting body positivity and praising her physical appearance, many found this extremely bizarre. She even developed the size-inclusive shapewear brand “Yitty” to reflect the concepts of self-love, inner confidence and body positivity. 

According to the lawsuit submitted by Davis, Williams and Rodriguez, Lizzo was charged with “fat shaming” at least one of her dancers. Additionally, they claim that she falsely accused them of drinking at work and forced one of them to touch a nude performer in a club in Amsterdam. She also allegedly made the group go through an “excruciating” audition.

Numerous social media platforms were instantly flooded with tweets and posts from millions of her followers criticizing her for supposedly going against everything she had ever stood for since beginning her career. 

One fan tweeted: “Sometimes you want to see people prosper and thrive, but you also know that behind the scenes they might not be living what they preach.” 

Lizzo’s dancers are defending her, claiming that despite the complaint detailing numerous incidents of alleged sexual harassment, misconduct, and other issues while touring with her, the singer assisted in giving them a platform to fulfill their goals. 

Lizzo released a statement in response after the lawsuit received significant coverage in the media. 

“Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed… 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,” she said in her Instagram post. 

Lizzo had been expected to have been chosen for the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show before any of this information became public knowledge online. An NFL insider told DailyMail, “The ensuing backlash over the allegations has prompted the organization to immediately drop Lizzo from Super Bowl Halftime Show contention - having previously had her name in the mix as one of the front-runners for the 2024 spectacle.” 

The news that Lizzo, a plus-size woman who promotes body positivity, is fat-phobic and created a disruptive work environment for her employees is shocking to millions of fans. 

Nobody is certain how this lawsuit will turn up for the Grammy award-winning artist because certain members of her team are on her side while others are not.