It has not been a great week for Lizzo. The “Juice” singer is currently facing accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment by three former dancers. For the artist, who has risen to fame, in part, on her calls for equity and body positivity, these allegations have rocked her world and threatened her career.
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Now, taking matters into her own hands, Lizzo has hired celebrity lawyer Marty Singer, who has previously worked on high-profile cases with actors like Bill Cosby, Johnny Depp, and Jonah Hill.
Responding to the accusations on social media, Lizzo wrote, “These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned. Usually, I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
She added, “These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior 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.”
The three former dancers are named in the filings— Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez. Lizzo’s dance team captain Shirlene Quigley and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. production company are also named in the suit as co-defendants.
“Initially for me, it just further deepened my disappointment in regards to how I was feeling and how I was treated,” Williams told Channel 4, responding to Lizzo’s statement. “I think the overall theme in all this is that our experiences were our experiences and our traumas were our traumas. In bringing that forward, it feels like it was disregarded completely. It feels like we were made out to be putting out false allegations when that’s not the case.”
Replying to the allegations, Singer shared a video that seems to show Davis showering Lizzo with praise, calling her a “queen.” In the video, Davis allegedly says, “It’s been so amazing and such a beautiful journey. I look up to her so much. I just want to follow in her footsteps, and I just want to share that with Queen Lizzo herself.”
In a statement to TMZ, Singer added, “These do not sound like the words of someone who was harassed or discriminated against by someone they described as ‘THE QUEEN.’”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
