Lizzo claims she was “blindsided” by sexual harassment lawsuit
In 2023, Lizzo was accused of sexual harassment by three dancers, and now, the singer has said she was “completely blindsided” by the allegations.
Her former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, also claimed that Lizzo had helped to create a toxic working environment. Additionally, documentary maker Sophia Nahli Allison claimed she started working with Lizzo in 2019 but shelved the project after two weeks due to the singer’s alleged behaviour.
Reflecting on the slew of accusations on the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast, Lizzo stated: “I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit.” The singer also claimed to be “completely surprised” by the legal filing.
She continued: “I was very deeply hurt because these were three ex-dancers, so they weren’t on the tour. They didn’t, like, finish the tour out with us. But even regardless of that, these were people that I gave opportunities to.”
Lizzo then said she was unsure on the motivations behind the allegations, adding, “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 continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing or inappropriate behaviour, stating, “Let’s be clear, I did nothing wrong.” The case is still ongoing, although a judge dismissed some elements from the lawsuit earlier this year.
Stylist Asha Daniels also named Lizzo in a bullying and harassment lawsuit. Daniels told NBC News in 2023: “I was listening to this Black woman on this huge stage have this message of self-love and caring for others and being empathetic and being strong and standing up for others. And I was witnessing myself, the dancers and the background vocalists and my local team in every city be harassed and bullied regularly.”
However, Lizzo has said she was “dismissed” during the podcast appearance. Rolling Stone previously reported that District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha ruled that the singer cannot be sued as an individual, but her company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc, remains a defendant in the ongoing case.
Daniels’ legal representative Ron Zambrano told the publication: “Lizzo’s company was not dismissed. The lawsuit still exists as to Lizzo’s companies … Lizzo and her tour manager will still be deposed in this matter.”
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