ENTERTAINMENT
Lizzo Faces New Sexual Harassment Allegations From At Least Six More Accusers
Lizzo has reportedly been accused by at least six more people of inappropriate sexual behaviour. The “About Damn Time” star, 35, is being sued by her former backing dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez for alleged sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and discrimination and on Wednesday, August 9, attorneys representing the lawsuit told Page Six they have been reviewing and vetting fresh claims from another half-dozen complainants “with similar stories” who worked with the singer.
Lawyer Ron Zambrano said his firm has been examining dancers who worked with Lizzo on her Amazon Studios reality show “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”. He said in a statement the original three accusers “have bravely spoken out and shared their experiences, opening the door for others to feel empowered to do the same”.
The lawyer told Page Six the new allegations are of a “sexually charged environment” and failure to pay employees, adding, “Some of the claims we are reviewing may be actionable, but it is too soon to say”. Among the allegations against Lizzo from her former dancers Arianna, Crystal and Noelle is that the singer pressured them to engage with naked performers at a club in Amsterdam and pushed them into eating bananas sticking from sex workers’ vaginas in the nightspot.
They have also accused “Big Grrrl Big Touring” and dance team captain Shirlene Quigley of creating a “sexually charged and uncomfortable” work environment in their lawsuit against Lizzo. Lizzo denied their claims in a statement on her Instagram, saying, “These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed. These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
In their first UK interview about the allegations, the three dancers told Channel 4 News of their “shock” at Lizzo’s dismissal of their allegations. Crystal said, “Initially for me it just further deepened my disappointment in regards to how I was feeling and how I was treated. 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.”
[Via]
