A growing chorus of former associates of Lizzo have come forward to share damning allegations against the “Rumors” singer after a bombshell lawsuit was filed Tuesday by three ex-dancers who accused her of fat-shaming, sexual harassment, and fostering a hostile work environment.
Shortly after the lawsuit dropped, filmmaker and Oscar-nominee Sophia Nahli Allison took to her social media to claim she was “treated with such disrespect” by Lizzo when she traveled with the pop star in 2019 as the director of her documentary, Love, Lizzo. Two weeks in, Allison walked away from the project, she said.
“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a shitty situation with little support,” Allison wrote in a post. “My spirit said to run as fast as you fucking can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I feel gaslit and deeply hurt, but I’ve healed.”
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“Reading these reports made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was,” she continued. “This kind of abuse of power happens far too often. Much love and support to the dancers.”
Tuesday’s lawsuit accused Lizzo, her dance team captain Shirlene Quigley, and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring of sexual, religious, and racial harassment. It detailed post-work outings to sex clubs and nude cabaret bars in which Lizzo allegedly pressured dancers to eat bananas from performers’ vaginas and touch nude performers. The dancers also described Lizzo allegedly flying off the handle during meetings, putting dancers through brutal “re-auditions” under the threat of being fired, and threatening physical violence. One dancer even claimed Lizzo, who is known for her public messages of body positivity, fat-shamed her.
While Quigley and reps for Lizzo did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast, Lizzo broke her silence early Thursday in a statement on Instagram, labeling the allegations “false,” “outrageous,” and “sensationalized.”
“I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo said. “I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this.”
But Allison and the three ex-dancers have not been alone in their descriptions of Lizzo’s alleged toxic workplace. Quinn Wilson, the singer’s former creative director, expressed support for the lawsuit in an Instagram story this week, suggesting she hasn’t “been apart of that world for around three years, for a reason.”
“I grieve parts of my own experience. Id appreciate space to understand my feelings,” she wrote.
Wilson’s post came in response to yet another ex-employee’s account of working for Lizzo. Dancer Courtney Hollinquest said, “I’m not apart of the lawsuit - but this was very much my experience in my time there.”
In a seeming show of solidarity, Beyoncé appeared to skip over Lizzo’s name in a performance of “Break My Soul (Queen’s Remix)” at a Boston concert on Tuesday. Videos showed Beyoncé repeating Erykah Badu’s name several times instead of singing Lizzo’s name—as written in the song—alongside a list of other female stars like Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill.
Ron Zambrano, the lawyer representing the three ex-dancers, told The Daily Beast on Thursday that others had “absolutely” reached out to his office with potential interest in taking further legal action.
He elaborated on CNN This Morning, saying it was “100 percent” likely that more plaintiffs will either join the lawsuit or file their own.
“People have already come on social media to support our clients, people have already reached out to my office through social media,” Zambrano said. “I believe more people will come forward, if not here where we are in Los Angeles, but in New York—we’ve received other calls and inquiries from around the nation.”
