CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses topics that may disturb some readers.
Special singer Lizzo has opened up about the explosive lawsuits filed against her in 2023 which included allegations of sexual harassment, body shaming and a toxic workplace environment.
Back in August 2023, the 36-year-old songstress was sued by three former dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and sexual harassment.
A month later, Asha Daniel, who worked for Lizzo as a stylist, also filed a lawsuit against the singer, her wardrobe manager Amanda Nomua and Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc, alleging that Lizzo allowed a sexualised and racially charged work environment.
Almost more than a year later, Lizzo has finally opened up in-depth about the allegations, in an interview with actor Keke Palmer.
Taking to the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, Lizzo revealed she was “completely surprised” and “deeply hurt” by the lawsuit.
“These were people I gave opportunities to, these were people I liked them and appreciated 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,” Lizzo shared before calling the allegations made in the lawsuit “ridiculous” and “silly”.
Further in the podcast, Keke pushed Lizzo to share her side of one of the explosive claims made by the three dancers, where they were allegedly pressured to go into a nude bar.
Lizzo began by explaining that she often visits dance recitals and burlesque shows when she’s in Europe and that in this case, she went to a venue known as Crazy Horse in Paris.
“So I’ve gone for years and I always invite the performers to, ‘Hey, oh my gosh, you should come through and watch this show and get inspired’ and every time I’ve gone I’ve had my performers come and they watch the show and everything has always been fine,” Lizzo shared.
“This time I gave an invitation, it wasn’t mandatory it was just ‘Hey, I’m going to Crazy Horse, everyone’s invited if you wanna come, you can come’. And there were plenty of people who didn’t come.
“We watched the show. It was an amazing show and the Crazy Horse performers they wanted to meet me afterwards, ‘cos you know it’s me, and I extended that.”
Lizzo went on to claim that all of the dancers — including the ones who are involved in the lawsuit against her — agreed to meet the performers and participated in the meet and greet. The singer then assured the podcast host that nothing beyond the meeting happened and that they all went home after the event.
Throughout the podcast, Lizzo continued to deny all of the allegations made against her in all the lawsuits and continued to state she did no wrongdoing.
“Let’s be clear. I did nothing wrong so I have no regrets but I do have now this learned experience,” Lizzo shared.
Where do the lawsuits against Lizzo stand now?
At one point in the podcast, Lizzo emphasised she was “dismissed” from one of the cases brought against her.
“Not dropped, dismissed. This means a judge saw this and in a court of law he said ‘OK we can’t allow this to go through’ because the evidence was evidencing against the claims,” she said, referring to Daniel’s lawsuit which she was dismissed from earlier this month, per BBC.
However, in a statement to PEOPLE, Daniel’s lawyer Ron Zambrano clarified what Lizzo said on Keke’s podcast.
“The lawsuit is still very active and has not been dismissed. The ruling was not for lack of evidence, but rather on procedural jurisdictional grounds. It by no means absolves Lizzo of the egregious claims that occurred on her watch,” he said.
“All individually named defendants were dismissed because of the jurisdictional limits of Title VII and FLSA claims that no individual can be liable for those claims. Ergo, no individual, be it Lizzo or the person sweeping the floor behind her, can be a defendant under the FLSA or Title VII. This is the reason Lizzo and her tour manager were dismissed from the case.
“It had nothing to do with the merits of the claims. The lawsuit still moves forward against Lizzo’s company, Big Grrl Touring, as to all claims except for the overtime allegation. The Ninth Cause of Action for Unpaid Overtime was also dismissed for jurisdictional, not evidentiary reasons, given claims for unpaid overtime only apply to work done within the United States. Lizzo and her tour manager will still be deposed in connection with the lawsuit.”
Per Billboard, Davis, Williams and Rodriguez’s case was put on hold in March after the singer attempted to appeal a judge’s decision that rejected the singer’s efforts to get the lawsuit dismissed under the state’s anti-SLAPP law. The case is set to be heard on January 14, 2025.
While Keke’s podcast is the first time Lizzo has gone in-depth into the allegations, it is not the first time the singer has denied what’s been alleged in the lawsuits.
At the time the lawsuits were filed, Lizzo released a statement on Instagram, addressing the allegations in a text post.
“These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing,” Lizzo wrote in the statement which was originally published August 3, 2024.
“My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned.
“These sensationalised stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
In the same notes statement, Lizzo denied the sexual harassment allegations as well as the body-shaming claims made by her former employees in the lawsuits.
“I am very open about my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make out to be something I am not,” she added.
“I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
Lizzo has continued to deny all allegations made against her in the explosive lawsuits.
