New Lawsuits Emerge, Unveiling Lizzo’s Alleged Harassment and Hostility
Three former Lizzo dancers have filed lawsuits against the singer and her production company for alleged sexual harassment and a hostile working environment.
Trigger Warning
On August 1, the three former dancers sued Lizzo, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and the captain of Lizzo’s dance team, Shirlene Quigley. According to Variety, the dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez have filed lawsuits on several charges. Some of the many are alleged sexual harassment, alleged religious harassment, alleged racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.
As the lawsuit became known to the public, another former dancer of Lizzo’s and her former creative director shared their insight.
The former dancer, Courtney Hollinquest, shared on her Instagram story stating, “I’m not apart of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there. . . I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to light.”
Quinn Wilson, Lizzo’s former creative director, reshared Hollinquest’s story adding, “I havent been apart of that world for around three years for a reason. . . I grieve parts of my own experience. Id appreciate space to understand my feelings.”
On Twitter, Pop Base shared the Instagram story duo.
Lizzo’s former creative director, along with one of her former dancers, share support for the lawsuit filed against the singer:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 1, 2023
“I’m not apart of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there… I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to… pic.twitter.com/ojxxQ7l28m
The suit included details of Davis’, Williams’, and Rodriguez’s experiences. One of them was the team attending a live sex show in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where Lizzo pressured Davis to touch the nude dancers. Variety highlighted the details that the lawsuit stated:
“While at Bananenbar, things quickly got out of hand. Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas. Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club. Lizzo began leading a chant goading Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis said three times, loud enough for all to hear, ‘I’m good,’ expressing her desire not to touch the performer.”
The lawsuit also reviewed the religious harassment members of Lizzo’s team have endured, as Quigley forced her Christian beliefs on the dancers. According to the suit, the creative director would also continuously bring up Davis’ sexual life, post it on social media, and discuss it in interviews. She allegedly would detail her sexual fantasies and masturbation with the team also.
The three plaintiffs discussed the hostile working environment Lizzo created. The singer allegedly threatened her dancers and made it known that they were constantly being supervised and watched.
Davis and Williams were both fired and Rodriguez resigned. Davis allegedly experienced hostility regarding her weight, stating it was a sign of lazy behavior from dancers. She was fired for recording a meeting where Lizzo gave her performers notes. After Williams spoke up at a meeting where the singer accused her dancers of drinking before their performance, she was, too, publicly fired. Variety noted that the suspicious reason behind this was budget cuts. Rodriguez resigned due to her discomfort in such a hostile environment.
The plaintiffs also made complaints regarding the racially-motivated and fat-phobic comments some of the dancers endured. The entirely white-European BGBT management team allegedly called them lazy and unprofessional.
Pop Crave shared some of the details of the lawsuit on Twitter.
Specific claims made against Lizzo and her dance captain Shirlene Quigley in a lawsuit filed by her ex-dancers:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 1, 2023
Lizzo:
• Accused of overworking dancers and making the group re-audition in an “excruciating” 12-hour rehearsal. Those she was “dissatisfied with” would be fired… pic.twitter.com/PxH6jgGhMh
While Lizzo is a public figure that dedicates her time on stage to uplifting Black women, other women of color, and women of all sizes. However, the lawsuits charging her and her team unveil disturbingly hypocritical behavior from herself, her directors, and her management. They have yet to comment on any of the charges.
We commend the plaintiffs’ courage and decision to use their voices to bring their experiences to light. Harassment, belittlement, hostility, and demoralization are necessary conversations to surface. It is brave and courageous to use one’s platform and speak out, as many women and Hollywood celebrities have done.
We wish all cast members, dancers, and employees affected privacy, safety, and healing.
