Did Lizzo fat shame her own dancers? And have the bombshell allegations made against the proud to be plus-size rap star in an LA court prompted her idol Beyonce to deliver a very public rebuke?
There was a deafening cheer as Lizzo launched into her hit Truth Hurts at the concert at London’s O2 Arena in March.
It was filled to the rafters, mainly with women and girls waving glow-sticks in the air as they sang along to the song, an ode to self-love and empowerment after a relationship ends.
For me and my two female friends, it was a joyous and uplifting experience. Mums and daughters danced and sang the night away, many wearing T-shirts in tribute to the larger-than-life U.S. star, a plus-sized singer who has carved herself a reputation as a feminist icon.
One fan wore a top that read ‘Lizzo for President’; another’s had the words of one of her songs, ‘Feeling good as hell’, emblazoned across it.
Near me, a sweet little girl accompanied by her father seemed transfixed by the rap star, who was wearing a flesh-baring, sequined all-in-one outfit.
Lizzo (pictured) first rose to fame in America in 2016 and his since become a phenomenon worldwide
It was a similar story at Glastonbury in June, when Lizzo arrived on the Pyramid stage before another sea of female fans, who gave a huge cheer when they saw the sign behind her with its life-affirming message: ‘These are songs about love. Self-love. Family love. Friend love.
‘Love is what the world needs to be a better place. Take time to give love to yourself today. Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated. Treat others the same.’
READ MORE: Lizzo lawsuit: Singer at center of MORE allegations after banana sex act accusations as director Sophia Nahli Allison says ‘abuse of power’ forced her to quit and ANOTHER dancer speaks out
As she twerked and leapt around with bewildering energy, the crowd went wild and she told them later how ‘moved’ she was by their support.
It was in 2016 that Lizzo first came to public attention in America, but Lizzo-mania has since become a global phenomenon — and Britain is not immune.
She is not just a physical force to be reckoned with, who beams energy and vitality from the stage, but her body-positive and uplifting mantra — ‘be the best of yourself’ — is now shared by millions of women across the globe, who see her as a trailblazer.
Until now. Because the Lizbians — her tongue-in-cheek name for her rapturous supporters — are reeling from the revelation this week that three of her dancers (who were close friends) have filed a lawsuit at a Los Angeles court against Lizzo, her production company and her ‘dance captain’ Shirlene Quigley for allegedly creating a hostile work environment which included sexual harassment and fat-shaming.
Another dancer who is not part of the lawsuit has come out in support of the trio, as has Lizzo’s former creative director, who claims she ‘walked away’ from directing a documentary about the singer in 2019 after facing mistreatment from her.
If all this wasn’t bad enough for the star — real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson — on Tuesday night she appeared to have lost the support of her one-time friend, fellow feminist and idol, Beyonce.
The R’n’B superstar left out Lizzo’s name from the lyrics of her song Break My Soul.
Beyonce, 41, has been singing the track on her Renaissance tour. In it, she usually lists the names of several boundary-breaking black female artists, including Lizzo. But during her performance in Boston, Massachusetts, Lizzo’s name was omitted.
If intentional, the omission will be a body-blow for the rap star. Last year, when she learned that Beyonce was paying homage to her in the song, she took to Twitter to say: ‘…Beyonce said my name,’ before posting a screenshot of the lyrics and adding, ‘I’m reading and weeping…’
Just a few months earlier, Lizzo had taken to Instagram to wish Beyonce a happy 40th birthday, captioning a photograph of herself and the superstar with the message: ‘Happy birthday @beyonce — ima keep posting this pic until we take a real one together.’
The post got 1.2 million ‘likes’ — evidence that fans adored the two stars’ sisterhood pledge.
Of course, Lizzo may be entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. The singer has not yet responded publicly to the allegations, which have yet to be tested in court.
But there is no question that her fans will be shell-shocked by these new developments.
Lizzo (left) poses with dancer Arianna Davis (right) who has filed a lawsuit against the singer
The legal papers deposited in court contained accusations from her dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez of sexual, religious and racial harassment; discrimination; assault and false imprisonment.
In the paperwork there are also allegations that the dancers were ‘forced to endure sexually denigrating behaviour’ and ‘pressured into participating in disturbing sex shows’ between 2021 and 2023.
Among the claims against Lizzo is that earlier this year she organised a night out for the dancers in a strip club in Amsterdam.
Ms Davis claims ‘she felt pressured into touching the breasts’ of a naked performer, with the star leading chants of her name until she did so. After at first resisting, it is claimed she eventually acquiesced, ‘fearing it may harm her future on the team’ if she didn’t.
The Detroit-born rapper is also accused, along with choreographer Tanisha Scott, of weight-shaming Ms Davis on tour. It is this accusation that is likely to be the most damaging to Lizzo, whose brand is said to be worth £40 million, for she plays on her plus-size image.
Ms Davis alleges the two asked her whether she was ‘struggling with something, as she seemed less committed to her role on the dance cast’. The claim adds: ‘In professional dance, a dancer’s weight gain is often seen as that dancer getting lazy or worse off as a performer. Lizzo’s and Ms Scott’s questions about Ms Davis’s commitment to the tour were thinly veiled concerns about Ms Davis’s weight gain.’
Though never explicitly stated, the questions ‘gave Ms Davis the impression that she needed to explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job’.
Ms Davis and Ms Williams got to know Lizzo and later tour with her when they were both contestants on Prime Video’s reality series Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, in 2021, in which the star was auditioning for new back-up dancers.
And yesterday, a clip from the series emerged online showing Lizzo encouraging contestants to pose for a naked shoot. On the clip, Ms Davis says she is ‘having a hard time with the nude photoshoot’ and that she’s ‘a bit more modest’. Then she adds: ‘I think that might hinder my chances of being a Big Grrrl. I think I can be naked emotionally and mentally without being naked physically.’
Ms Williams and Ms Davis got the job but were fired early this year. Ms Rodriguez — the third dancer who was hired in 2021 —also left this year, but of her own accord.
Noelle Rodriguez (pictured) told Lizzo she was ‘having a hard time’ with a nude photoshoot the singer encouraged her to pose for
It has not gone unnoticed that Lizzo, too, threatened to give it all up this year. In June she wrote on Twitter: ‘I hate it here. Y’all don’t know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F****** FARM.’
Whether this imbroglio will again encourage her to think of quitting is open to question, although the claims of course could prove baseless.
Whatever the case, Lizzo has become one of the least likely pop stars of the past few years. She was born in Michigan to a businessman father, Michael Jefferson, and entrepreneur mum, Shari Johnson-Jefferson. Aged eight, she was classically trained as a flautist and after the family moved to Texas, began rapping as a teenager.
When she was 14, she founded her first band, Cornrow Clique, and was given the nickname Lizzo. She later studied classical music at the University of Houston but dropped out in 2009 following the death of her father when she was 21.
She claims to have been broke and living in her car as she tried to break into the music industry. But she managed to release her first album, Lizzobangers, in 2013 and her career took off three years later.
In contrast to many slender pop stars, she has deliberately made her name from her curves, which she flaunts.
She became a household name following the success of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, released in 2019. In 2020, she won her first Grammy awards for best urban contemporary album and best traditional R&B performance, with her hit Jerome. Earlier this year she won her third Grammy.
Music experts put much of her success down to her overtly feminist lyrics.
She struck a particular chord during on the pandemic with her single About Damn Time, from her fourth studio album, Special, which she wrote to help her feel better about herself.
Speaking of the hit, she said: ‘I think life had thrown some major traumas and hard experiences at us, especially globally these last few years.
‘I wanted to write a song that allowed us to take a moment and celebrate our survival and celebrate how far we’ve come. And I think About Damn Time does just that. It does it for me, honey.’
Crystal Williams (pictured) has accused Lizzo of harassment, discrimination, assault and false imprisonment alongside two other dancers
Cashing in on her status, she can now add fashion designer to her CV, after launching her own clothing brand called Yitty, which she describes as ‘inclusive shapewear’.
The range, a collaboration with workout brand Fabletics, includes dresses, loungewear and underwear, all priced between £40 and £100. While the reviews have been mixed, sources close to the star say sales have been ‘better than expected’.
Fans were divided in their views on the scandal yesterday, with some claiming that Lizzo had been targeted because she is black.
One wrote on Twitter: ‘Y’all don’t really care about what those dancers went through, y’all just needed a reason to call Lizzo a fat b***h and y’all got it.’
Some fans dashed to social media to share their support for Ms Davis, Ms Williams and Ms Rodriguez. One said: ‘Lots of people crawling out the woodwork to use a horrible situation as an excuse to be fat phobic and racist, which is really not what this is about. Solidarity to the dancers and I hope they find both justice and peace.’
Many, however, are waiting to see what Lizzo has to say about the accusations. Her Hollywood-based agents didn’t respond to requests for comment.
But one music publicist told the Daily Mail: ‘After all the bleating she has done about body image and what a force she is, she really needs to come out and address these claims before it’s too late.’
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