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Lizzo addressed the lawsuit filed against her in August 2023 by three former backup dancers, maintaining that she “did nothing wrong” in an interview with Keke Palmer.
Why Lizzo Says "Only God" Can Cancel Her Now After Controversy
Lizzo is saying exactly how she feels.
The “Truth Hurts” singer spoke out about the lawsuit filed against her by three of her former dancers in August 2023—days after she wrapped her Special tour—accusing the star of sexual harassment, weight-shaming and disability discrimination, among other grievances.
“I was literally living in my dream,” Lizzo told Keke Palmer on the Dec. 19 episode of the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, “and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit.”
The Grammy winner said she was “deeply hurt” by the allegations because the plaintiffs—Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez—were “people that I gave opportunities to.”
“I was like, ‘What?’” she recalled. “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.”
During the sit-down, the 36-year-old also maintained her innocence in the matter.
“Let’s be clear,” she emphasized, “I did nothing wrong, so I have no regrets.”
In the complaint obtained by E! News at the time, the dancers also accused the “About Damn Time” singer of creating a “hostile, abusive work environment” while they worked for her. They said Lizzo arranged a February 2023 group outing to Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where she was allegedly “inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers.”
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Following the release of the podcast, the dancers’ lawyer said the women “stand by the claims in the lawsuit.”
“There is an utter lack of awareness by Lizzo failing to see how these young women on her team who are just starting their careers would feel pressured to accept an invitation from their global celebrity boss who rarely hangs out with them,” attorney Ron Zambrano said in a statement to E! News Dec. 19. “There is a power dynamic in the boss-employee context that Lizzo utterly fails to appreciate.”
Lizzo said she’s been dismissed from the lawsuit. However, the dancers’ attorney said she remains a defendant in the harassment lawsuit that is being reviewed by the court of appeals.
Days after the filing, Lizzo addressed the situation in a post on social media, denying the allegations leveled against her.
“These sensationalized stories,” she wrote on her Instagram page in August 2023, “are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
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Lizzo went on to say that while she didn’t want to portray herself as a “victim,” she didn’t want to be villainized either.
“I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not,” she continued. “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
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