Truth Hurts singer Lizzo has spoken out in detail about the shocking lawsuit some of her former dancers filed against her in August 2023.
In an emotional roller-coaster of an interview on Keke Palmer’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the Grammy winner denied multiple allegations of a hostile work environment, weight-shaming, sexual and racial harassment, and more.
The interview comes months after the suit was put on hold and multiple claims were dismissed.
“I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit,” Lizzo told the host, emphasising repeatedly in the interview that she does not see herself as a victim.
“These were people that — I liked them and appreciated them as dancers, respected them as dancers. So I was like, ‘what?’. But then I heard all the other things, like sexual harassment, and I was like, ‘they’re trying... well... I don’t know what they’re trying to do, but these are the types of things that the media can turn into something that it’s not’,” the singer, known for hits including About Damn Time and Good as heLL added.
The lawsuit — filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — also listed the tour’s production company and the dance captain as defendants.
The dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, is accused of pushing Christianity onto the dancers and also talking about her sexual habits and fantasies. Lizzo was accused of forcing a dancer to touch a nude performer at a club in Amsterdam and of firing the three dancers.
“Let’s be clear. I did nothing wrong, so I have no regrets, but I do have, now, this learned experience that is preparing me for the boss that I am becoming,” Lizzo said, emphasising the blurred lines between working relationships and friendships in the music industry.
She added that she would handle things differently now as a boss, having learned from her experiences.
Lizzo also promoted an upcoming album on the show.
In response to the podcast, attorney Ron Zambrano, who represents the three dancers, criticised Lizzo for having an “utter lack of awareness” as the dancers’ boss.
“There is an utter lack of awareness by Lizzo failing to see how these young women on her team who are just starting their careers would feel pressured to accept an invitation from their global celebrity boss who rarely hangs out with them,” Zambrano said in a statement to HuffPost on Thursday.
“There is a power dynamic in the boss-employee context that Lizzo utterly fails to appreciate. We stand by the claims in the lawsuit and are prepared to prove everything in court with Lizzo on the stand under oath before a jury of her peers, not spouting nonsense and lies rationalizing a failure to take accountability on a podcast.”
Lizzo faced similar allegations in a lawsuit filed by a former wardrobe designer, Asha Daniels. However, Lizzo was dismissed from the ongoing lawsuit earlier this month.
