Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have filed a lawsuit against the Grammy Award winner, alleging that the singer created a hostile work environment. The plaintiffs also accused the hitmaker of sexual harassment.
According to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, the plaintiffs, Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez, claimed that the incidents allegedly occurred between 2021 and 2022 while performing with Lizzo during her Special tour. According to the lawsuit, all three dancers claimed that they continued to endure the alleged mistreatment through 2023 when they embarked on the European leg of the 35-year-old celeb’s tour.
The suit, which was filed Aug. 1 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Lizzo, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and dance captain Shirlene Quigley as defendants.
After the singer’s Amsterdam performance in February 2023, two of the plaintiffs alleged that they went to a strip club in the Red Light District with Lizzo. According to the suit, once there, “Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers,” the Associated Press noted.
The plaintiffs claimed that the singer led a chant pressuring Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude performers.
“Finally, the chorus became overwhelming, and a mortified Ms. Davis acquiesced in an attempt to bring an end to the chants,” the complaint states. “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.”
Two of the plaintiffs participated in Lizzo’s widely popular reality TV show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in which contestants compete for a spot to join the star as one of her background dancers on tour. Lizzo, a prominent figure in the body positivity movement, allegedly made negative remarks about Davis’ “weight gain,” the suit states.
At one point, the dancers were asked to “re-audition after being accused of drinking before performances and not ‘performing up to par.'” Davis was so scared of being fired that she allegedly remained in the “brutal” eight-hour rehearsal, where she soiled herself. After the accident, Davis was required to finish the rehearsal, the lawsuit states.
Davis was later fired for recording a meeting “because she had an eye condition that prevented her from being in attendance.” After the incident, the plaintiffs claimed that Lizzo held an emergency meeting where security employees were instructed to confiscate the dancers’ phones. Lizzo allegedly became “furious” and hurled “expletives at the group” as she questioned everyone in the room to find out who made the recording.
Dance captain Quigley, who served as a judge on the singer’s reality show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, is accused of pushing her Christian beliefs onto Williams, Rodriguez and Davis.
The suit also accuses Quigley of making “sexually inappropriate comments and behavior, including discussing masturbation and sharing sexual fantasies. The plaintiffs also claimed that Quigley “openly discussed one of the dancer’s virginity during the filming of the reality television show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
Additionally, Davis, Willams and Rodriguez alleged that they were subjected to religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. When the group tried to request a retainer for their work, they were allegedly “scolded” by a member of Lizzo’s management team for “unacceptable and disrespectful behavior” and threatened with termination.
Rodriguez, who was hired after performing in the “Rumors” video, resigned earlier this year. The two other dancers were fired in April and May, NBC News noted. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for unpaid wages, loss of earnings and attorney’s fees, according to the lawsuit.
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