Lizzo has experienced a pretty turbulent last couple of years, mostly due to hostile workplace and sexual harassment allegations against her in a lawsuit from various former dancers, along with other claims. However, with the case still reportedly on hold for now, she feels much better about sharing her ups and downs, speaking on her mental health, and addressing the public more visibly. Well, sometimes. During Fortune‘s “Most Powerful Women” event, the singer was asked about the allegations for an interview. Her response does not go into much detail about the accusations, most likely for legal reasons. But it does suggest that this event wasn’t the space to go into that.
“You know, I don’t want to talk about things like that,” Lizzo expressed when asked how she felt about the allegations. “This isn’t the space for it. We’re celebrating female CEOs and powerful women. This isn’t really the space to talk about the negative things that happen to us. ‘Cause so much negative stuff happens to powerful women, and this is not the space.” “Right. As I agree with you, I don’t think this is the platform for that. *laughs*,” she continued when the interviewer spoke on the necessary opportunity for powerful women to address their own allegations in their own words rather than through other reports.
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in 10 months,” Lizzo shared concerning her mental health a few months ago. “The strange thing about depression is you don’t know you’re in it until you’re out of it. I’m definitely not all the way as carefree as I used to be.. But the dark cloud that followed me every day is finally clearing up. My smile reaches my eyes again and that’s a win. I thought my album was finished.. but I gotta get some of these good vibes off in a banger real quick. Thanks for your patience [red heart emoji].”
Meanwhile, it’s important to emphasize that this still an open case with some dismissed allegations and others still on the table. As such, we still have yet to receive an official ruling from a court of law on these accusations against Lizzo.
The lawsuits against Lizzo have quieted down as 2023 rolls to a close, but they’re still persistent. Moreover, there are two big cases on the floor right now, one from her former dancers whom she allegedly harassed. A similar harassment lawsuit came forth from designer Asha Daniels, who worked on the singer’s Special tour earlier this year. In it, she claims that she faced a “culture of racism and bullying” while working with her, which coincide with the dancers’ allegations. Regardless, the Detroit native’s legal team recently blasted this legal filing from Daniels and stand by their client, positing that the designer is a “disgruntled” former employee who “played hooky” one day of a show and was cut three weeks into their trek.
Furthermore, Lizzo’s attorney Martin D. Singer filed a motion to dismiss this case in Los Angeles court on Friday (December 15), just like the defense did with the dancers’ case. In it, he labeled Daniels’ side of the story as “meritless and salacious.” “During her brief employment by [Lizzo’s touring company], Plaintiff refused to comply with instructions from her supervisors and tour management, failed to perform the work that she was assigned and, eventually, just played hooky and refused to show up for work,” the motion reads. “Unsurprisingly, she was terminated after abandoning her post on the day of a concert in Paris, France.”
Lizzo At The Femme It Forward Give Her FlowHERS Gala 2023
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 10: Lizzo attends Femme It Forward Give Her FlowHERS Gala 2023 at The Beverly Hilton on November 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/WireImage/Getty Images)
In addition, Singer and company also alleged that this lawsuit against Lizzo should vanish because of logistical errors. This stems from Daniels’ residence in New York while she’s filing the case in California. “[Plaintiff] is a New York resident who worked for a Delaware corporation in Europe,” Singer expressed. “She has alleged no nexus to California.” Meanwhile, the designer’s lawyers called this “yet another Hail Mary by Lizzo’s team to try to shift blame to the victims” for her supposed behavior. “Lizzo and her lawyers can continue trying to rationalize her illegal and wretched conduct. But we remain committed to seeking justice for our clients. [We] look forward to our day in court where Lizzo can explain her behavior in a public forum.”
The Cuz I Love You hitmaker’s team hired Daniels in February of 2023 to handle wardrobe of her design. Her suit includes the claim that dancers had to change “little to no privacy” as “primarily white males [of the stage crew] would lewdly gawk, sneer, and giggle” at them. When the designer expressed concern, the wardrobe manager allegedly “laughed” and told her to keep quiet. For more news and the latest updates on Lizzo, stick around on HNHH.
Lizzo’s been relatively tight-lipped since news broke earlier this year of a harassment lawsuit against her from a couple of her former dancers. Sure, she’s still been active on social media and at public events, but she’s said little of her thoughts and emotions throughout this ordeal. However, in a new Instagram post on Thursday (November 16), the singer opened up a little bit more about what’s going on in her life right now. Not all of it deals with these accusations, but it’s hard to interpret any statement from her without that context. Regardless, it seems like the Detroit native is processing many things about herself in addition to this legal battle.
“Hi,” Lizzo simply started off a caption for a mirror selfie, in which she tagged her shape wear brand Yitty. “I’m working.. on music, myself, relationships with people and food, my anxiety, my body, my business, and my trust issues with the world. But they are deep now, deeper than they’ve ever been. Xoxo.” This comes after relatively innocuous social media activity, such as showing off her Halloween costumes.
In addition, this statement also arrives as more public figures and Lizzo’s own team contributes to the narrative around her treatment of her former dancers. Some believe these women, whereas others firmly stand by her or, at least, acknowledge that this is getting her a lot of negative press that people love to gobble up. For example, Keke Palmer recently spoke on the 35-year-old’s position, explaining that people either want to see celebrities as infallible heroes or as institutions to fight against or de-platform. For Palmer and many others, though, she sits in the middle zone of that, which shouldn’t warrant such blind vitriol from either side.
Meanwhile, this case could still turn around and become a settlement, and this is definitely something that everyone can learn from. As such, perhaps this will just be a bump in the artist’s successful road, or one that sees her reevaluate and restructure her behavior and tendencies. Either way, it’s at least heartening to see her slowly but surely come to terms with everything that accusations like this entail. For more news and the latest updates on Lizzo, stay up to date on HNHH.
The allegations of harassment, misconduct, and questionable team ethics against Lizzo have been one of the biggest pop culture stories this year. People are still pretty divided on how to feel about them, as new information emerges, is disproved by the other side, and so on. If anything’s clear about the whole thing, it’s that this will probably not get cleaned up in an amicable or smooth way. Regardless, many have come to the singer’s defense, or at least acknowledged that it’s a far more complex situation that the black-and-white brush people paint it with.
For example, Keke Palmer remarked as such on the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast. Specifically, she referenced a humanitarian award the “Special” artist won at the Black Music Action Coalition’s third annual gala. “Lizzo, some people are saying, ‘Oh, she should be canceled,’” the Nope star’s remarks began. “‘Ain’t she supposed to be canceled?’ And then other people are saying, ‘Well, how is she even receiving this humanitarian award?’ What I find so interesting is, we have two people saying two vastly two different things.
“But people are more interested in believing the negative,” Keke Palmer went on concerning Lizzo. “What makes the negative more real? Some people are saying she’s good, and some people are saying she’s f***ed up. Why couldn’t we even say that maybe both exist? Maybe sometimes, she’s an a**hole like everybody is. And maybe, a lot of times, she’s a great person. Maybe she’s just a normal human. Why is is that she’s either one hundred percent villainous or one hundred percent good?”
Meanwhile, the latest news we’ve gotten on the accused singer is her flute performance onstage with alt-rock band Incubus. Amid these accusations, she’s still continued to pop out in public and get praise and love from her peers. What Palmer is posing here is a pretty important aspect, but it’s hard to tell where that line starts and where it end. There are so many accusations, responses, and third parties to keep track of in these cases. Regardless, for more news and the latest updates on Keke Palmer and Lizzo, come back to HNHH.
More information continues to roll out in this ever-lasting lawsuit surrounding Lizzo. The latest news is that 14 of the singer’s dancers were granted a separate settlement from the footage from the 2022 documentary Love, Lizzo. Reportedly, Slay Smiles, the dance group’s manager brought this to the surface back in January. He claims that the uncomfortable and intimate discussions around misogyny, weight-shaming, and racism, really hurt the dancers deeply. It was also cleared for use in the documentary, but reached the final product.
Furthermore, Smiles went on to say that the documentary (and effectively Lizzo), exposed his crew. He says it, “truly exploited these women and violated the emotional safety they had in those moments.” The end result between Smiles, his dancers, the co-producers of the company Boardwalk Pictures, and a “Lizzo entity” was a settlement. However, there is still more to unpack.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JULY 23: Lizzo performs at Qudos Bank Arena on July 23, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
Additionally, Smiles also says that not a single contract was brought to his attention, or to the dancers for behind-the-scenes footage. The total payout of the settlement was around $110,000. Furthermore, $7000 was the rough amount that each dancer received. Of course, Lizzo, her attorney, and others around her are deflecting, saying the dancers were aware of everything going on. It is a sticky situation, to say the least, and one that will continue to produce more debate and discussion.
What are your initial thoughts on more dancers receiving settlements before the lawsuit? Do you think Lizzo will ever be able to live this down, or will it pass by? Furthermore, what are your thoughts on all of these different reports and claims surrounding this situation? We want to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around the music world.
It seems like Beyoncé is doubling down on her support for Lizzo after fans believed that she shaded her during a recent “RENAISSANCE” tour stop. Moreover, there’s a part of “BREAK MY SOUL” in which the superstar sings her name that she omitted during a show. However, this speculation didn’t last long, as she made sure to mention the “Special” star during a subsequent performance. If you didn’t know by now, this came about thanks to the multiple allegations of mistreatment, sexual harassment, and the creation of a hostile environment against the singer. After this speculation lit a fire on the Internet, the Lemonade artist made things much clearer.
“I love you, Lizzo!” Beyonce proclaimed during her most recent tour concert as of writing this article. With this, many fans expressed divided opinions over Queen Bey’s support. Some still dismiss the allegations as just the frustrations of ex-employees, whereas others give more credence to their testimonies and experiences. Overall, it’s still a recent development with not much official information out there, so it’s tough to determine the validity of this at the moment. Still, that doesn’t mean that these dancers and colleagues shouldn’t get their deservedly due consideration and that Lizzo shouldn’t be held accountable.
Whatever results from the trials and hearings on the lawsuits will define the Cuz I Love You creative’s career for the foreseeable future. Given that she has a strong relationship with Beyonce, this support surely means a lot to her moving forward. After all, Lizzo’s seen her perform 11 times, and the Houston native has always been one of the biggest industry figures by her side. Regardless, this is going to be a messy and unclear process moving forward, so we will see how this proclamation ages.
Meanwhile, these accusations apparently made the NFL drop the 35-year-old from their Super Bowl halftime show shortlist. While this is but a small part of this more pressing legal story, it hints at the future of her brand endorsements and extracurricular opportunities. We’ll see how that continues to develop and evolve as more information, evidence, and statements come forward. On that note, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Beyonce and Lizzo.
Lizzo, the pop sensation known for her catchy tracks and positive messages, now finds herself at the center of a storm. A recent lawsuit filed against her has raised eyebrows and questions about the environment she fosters for her team, and we’ll be looking at exactly what she has been accused of and how she has reacted.
Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have come forward with accusations of sexual harassment (via BBC). But the allegations don’t stop with Lizzo alone. Her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., and her dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley, are also named in the lawsuit. The dancers claim that Lizzo pressured them into unwanted sexual situations, made inappropriate comments about a dancer’s weight, and subjected them to intense rehearsals.
Lizzo poses during Reel To Reel: LOVE, LIZZO at The GRAMMY Museum on December 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sarah Morris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court (confirmed by APNews), outlines nine areas of misconduct related to the dancers’ experiences during Lizzo’s Special Tour. These allegations vary in nature and target. Some are directed at all three defendants – Lizzo, Quigley, and Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., while others are specific to individual defendants or plaintiffs.
Two key allegations made against all three defendants are:
Creation of a hostile work environment characterized by sexual harassment.
Failure to prevent or address both sexual and religious harassment in the workplace.
The dancers allege that their job security was constantly under threat. They felt compelled to comply with uncomfortable requests, some of which were sexual in nature. For instance, they claim Lizzo pressured them to attend a performance with nude dancers in Amsterdam. Further, religious harassment also features in the lawsuit. Quigley, Lizzo’s dance team captain, is accused of frequently discussing her Christian beliefs and chastising those who didn’t share them. The suit claims that one dancer’s virginity became a topic of discussion without her consent and that the dancers felt pressured to join group Christian prayers, irrespective of their personal beliefs.
Lizzo has built a reputation as a body positivity and inclusivity champion, especially for plus-size women of Color. She has been vocal about the challenges plus-size women face in society and has even launched a size-inclusive shapewear line, Yitty. Additionally, she produced a reality show, Watch Out for The Big Grrrls, aiming to spotlight plus-size dancers. Ironically, two of the plaintiffs, Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams, were part of this show. If proven true, the allegations could tarnish Lizzo’s image and the positive message she promotes. They also shed light on the potential lack of oversight and accountability in the music industry.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JULY 23: Lizzo performs at Qudos Bank Arena on July 23, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
As of now, Lizzo has denied the allegations. The singer took to Instagram to post a lengthy response, which featured the following (via Vanity Fair):
“These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing,” the Grammy-winning performer wrote. “My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually, I chose not to respond to false allegations. But, these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed… The sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
According to the suit, Arianna Davis was fired for filming a meeting in which Lizzo provided notes to the dancers, which Davis says she wanted to review later. Lizzo added that she doesn’t want to be “looked at as a victim, but also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself. But, I can not accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 13: Lizzo speaks during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center on March 13, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Saucedo/Getty Images for SXSW)
The next steps she plans to take remain unclear. However, the gravity of the lawsuit cannot be understated. It draws attention to the blurred lines between personal and professional boundaries in the entertainment industry. The lawsuit against Lizzo is a stark reminder of the challenges and pitfalls artists and their teams can face. As the case unfolds, it will be crucial to see how Lizzo and her team address the allegations. On top of that, also what changes, if any, are implemented to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved.
