Lawsuit Scandal: Lizzo's Ex-Dancers Allege Coercion into Nude Posing
Former dancers sue Lizzo, alleging she fostered a hostile work environment The lawsuit claims they were pressured to pose nude, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere
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Lizzo is facing legal action from three ex-dancers who claim that she fostered a detrimental work environment and coerced them into taking part in a photoshoot involving nudity, as we can verify.
Lizzo, along with her tour company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and dance captain Shirlene Quigley, were named in a lawsuit filed by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. The lawsuit, filed on August 1, accuses Lizzo and the defendants of creating a hostile work environment, engaging in religious harassment, disability discrimination, and sexual harassment. The allegations include claims that Quigley exhibited sexually inappropriate behavior towards the team, such as simulating oral sex on a banana in front of the dance cast and making derogatory comments about Davis' virginity. The trio found Quigley's actions and comments to be uncomfortable.
During their participation in the reality series, Davis and Williams claim that they were coerced into taking part in a nude photo shoot. Despite Davis's reluctance, she felt pressured to comply, fearing the consequences of refusal.
According to the lawsuit, Davis experienced emotional distress on the set, torn between seizing a rare career opportunity and unwillingly exposing her body. This incident serves as a premonition of the sexually charged and uncomfortable atmosphere that Lizzo's staff would later be subjected to.
The dancers claimed that on a trip to Amsterdam, Lizzo invited them to visit the Red Light District. Although it wasn't mandatory, the dancers felt compelled to attend out of concern for their job security.
"At Bananenbar, things rapidly escalated. Lizzo started encouraging cast members to participate in activities like touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from their vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from their vaginas," the papers said. "Lizzo then shifted her focus to Ms. Davis and began pressuring her to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club."
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However, Lizzo expressed her preference that the dancers refrain from pursuing other job opportunities during the interim period. Subsequently, upon discovering that other team members were receiving 50 percent of their weekly pay during the offseason, the dancers requested compensation for the time between tour legs. The group claimed that they were offered only 25 percent of their pay and were reprimanded for their alleged "unacceptable and disrespectful behavior while on tour," according to the documents.
Davis and Williams were terminated as a result of "budget cuts." However, Davis contends that she was fired after secretly recording a dance team meeting, which supposedly angered Lizzo. Prior to her dismissal, Davis alleged that the dancers were summoned for an unplanned wardrobe fitting, during which their cell phones were confiscated by security. According to the documents, Lizzo singled out the dancers upon discovering that one of them had recorded a previous meeting, and proceeded to interrogate all of them until Davis confessed, resulting in her immediate termination.
Rodriguez resigned following the trio's attorneys' press release citing "appalling behavior." According to the allegations, Rodriguez and Lizzo got into a disagreement after the termination of two other dancers.
The documents claim that Lizzo aggressively confronted Ms. Rodriguez, cracking her knuckles, clenching her fists, and declaring, "You're lucky. You're so f—g lucky!" Ms. Rodriguez feared that Lizzo intended to physically assault her and would have done so if one of the other dancers hadn't intervened. The claims state that neither security nor management took any action to de-escalate the situation. As Lizzo exited the room, she raised both middle fingers and shouted, "Bye, bitch!"
In a statement, attorney Ron Zambrano suggested that Lizzo and her management team have acted in a manner that contradicts the values she publicly stands for. Zambrano claimed that Lizzo has been engaging in weight-shaming and demeaning behavior towards her dancers, which he deemed both illegal and demoralizing.
