Lizzo has been sued by three of her former dancers who accuse the US rapper of sexual harassment and of creating a hostile work environment.
The civil lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles county superior court.
The suit, which was first reported by NBC, alleged that Lizzo — whose full name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson — pressured the dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed one of them for her weight gain before firing her.
The lawsuit claimed the dancers had been “exposed to an overtly sexual atmosphere that permeated their workplace,” which included “outings where nudity and sexuality were a focal point”.
The dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — also alleged they were harassed by the rapper sexually, racially and religiously in several incidents between 2021 and 2023.
They claimed at a club where attendees can interact with the nude performers, “Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ va***as, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ v***nas”.
Lizzo was alleged to have “badgered the security guard to get on the club’s stage until he submitted to her demands”.
“When he got on the stage, his pants were pulled down, exposing his bu***cks. Lizzo then began yelling, ‘Take it off!’ while a club performer hit the security guard with whips,” the suit stated.
The defendants include Lizzo, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc.; and Shirlene Quigley, the tour’s dance captain.
In a statement, Ron Zambrano, their counsel, said: “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing”.
Representatives for Lizzo and Quigley are yet to respond to the allegations — as of the time of this report.
Lizzo is known as an advocate for body positivity and self-love.
In 2020, the singer revealed she is now happy with her body size after struggling with dysmorphia for years.
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