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- Lizzo has broken her silence following harassment allegations, including weight shaming.
- Three of the pop star's former dancers filed a lawsuit with accusations of labour law violations, including descriptions of what their lawyers deem shaming and sexual harassment.
- In a lengthy post on Instagram, the singer called the claims "as unbelievable as they sound."
Lizzo on Thursday hit back at allegations she weight-shamed her staff, calling the accusations in a lawsuit levelled by former dancers "as unbelievable as they sound."
Three of the pop star's former dancers filed the suit in Los Angeles with accusations of labour law violations, including descriptions of what their lawyers deem shaming and sexual harassment.
One of the allegations centres around an Amsterdam red-light district sex show which the dancers say they felt pressured to attend. At the show, Lizzo pressured her dancers to interact with the nude performers, the suit alleges.
It also alleges that Lizzo's dance leader, Shirlene Quigley, frequently made sexual comments and proselytized her Christian beliefs, especially against pre-marital sex, "regardless of protestations."
"Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed," Lizzo posted Thursday on social media.
"These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."
"As an artist, I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my 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 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."
The lawsuit alleges that white managers from Lizzo's production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), which was also named in the complaint, "often accused the Black members of the dance team of being lazy, unprofessional, and having bad attitudes."
"Not only do these words ring familiar as tropes used to disparage and discourage Black women from advocating for themselves, but the same accusations were not levied against dancers who are not Black," according to the complaint cited in the statement.
"Only the dance cast - comprised of full-figured women of colour - were ever spoken to in this manner, giving Plaintiffs the impression that these comments were charged with racial and fat-phobic animus," it added.
The accusations were particularly surprising given Lizzo's oft-repeated messages of self-love and body positivity.
She did not directly address the accusations made against Quigley. Lizzo did explicitly deny the weight-shaming allegations.
"I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. 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. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight," Lizzo said.
"I'm hurt, but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time."
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