Lizzo: More complaints about singer being investigated in wake of lawsuit

More complaints into Lizzo’s behaviour are being investigated by lawyers representing her accusers.

Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, along with a third dancer, Arianna Davis, have filed a lawsuit against the Grammy-winning musician and her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring (BGBT), which also includes claims of religious harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.

Speaking to NBC News, Ron Zambrano said his firm is now looking at fresh allegations from six people who say they toured with Lizzo, as well as others who worked on her TV show Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls.

Mr Zambrano said the allegations are of a “sexually charged environment”, and failure to pay staff, adding some of the claims are potentially actionable.

After news of the lawsuit emerged, Lizzo issued a statement on social media saying she was “not the villain”. The singer, who is known for championing body positivity, described the allegations as “unbelievable” and “too outrageous to not be addressed”.

In response, Ms Williams told Sky News: “Her statement is just confirming the pattern of every time somebody speaks up or advocates for themselves, like we’re doing now, we get victim-blamed, we get gaslighted. And she likes to point the finger instead of addressing the issues that are being brought up.”

This is something that happens on an “everyday basis” when working with stars, she said. “Sadly, we’ve already experienced not only dancers that have worked with her directly, but dancers that are just in the entertainment industry in general, they’ve already come out and they’ve shared their stories.

“They feel brave enough to share their experiences… before people were just silent about it, they didn’t feel comfortable enough. They didn’t feel protected enough to call these artists out, to call these management teams out, and let them know, ‘hey, what you’re doing is wrong’.”

Lizzo is a four-time Grammy winner who was named Time’s entertainer of the year in 2019. She is best known for hits including Truth Hurts, Juice, Good As Hell and About Damn Time.

Ms Davis and Ms Williams began dancing with the star after competing on her Amazon reality show Watch Out For The Big Grrrls in 2021, but were both later fired. Ms Rodriguez was hired in the same year after performing in the video for the song Rumours, but resigned earlier this year over the “appalling behaviour”.

Read more:
Lizzo’s future is hanging in the balance
‘I am not the villain’: Lizzo responds to dancers’ claims

‘Lizzo doesn’t understand’

Ms Rodriguez compared working for Lizzo to dancing for the likes of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, saying elsewhere this week: “I mean, working with Beyoncé, you have to be on your P’s and Q’s. Same thing with someone like Janet [Jackson] or Lady Gaga.

“But what they did differently and what Lizzo’s not understanding as a businesswoman, is that you can still have this expectation, this level of talent and energy that you want around you, but still show appreciation to your workers.

“There’s a really good balance of that, and I just don’t understand, the more you show that appreciation to your workers and that you care for them and everything that they’re doing for you as they are for you as well, the harder they want to work for you.

“I think that’s the biggest difference that she doesn’t quite understand yet.”

In her statement responding to the women’s lawsuit, Lizzo said: “Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”

She added: “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.”

Sky News has contacted Lizzo’s representatives for comment.