Three of Lizzo’s former back-up dancers have filed a lawsuit against the About Damn Time singer, her production company and dance captain Shirlene Quigley, alleging sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
The 35 year old entertainer, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has been accused of pressuring one of her backing dancers into touching a nude performer at an Amsterdam club, claiming she made them 'perform sex acts with a banana'.
It's also claimed she made them do an "excruciating" audition, following her claims that they were drinking alcohol whilst working.
The dancers who filed the lawsuit also claimed that Lizzo, who is a big champion for body positivity, berated a performer for 'putting on weight'.
That same dancer claims she was later fired by the star for recording a meeting.
Lizzo is being sued by her ex-dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez.
However, after the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles, two more women came forward with similar claims – dancer Courtney Hollinquest and director Sophia Nahil Allison.
Courtney Hollinquest, who has not filed an official complaint, shared a NBC News story about the lawsuit to Instagram, as she talked about her own "experience".
She wrote: "For clarification, I'm not a part of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there.
"Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light," she then said, with a prayer hand emoji and a hand heart emoji.
In response, Lizzo posted a string of screenshots of a statement which appears to have been penned in the notes app.
The star has refuted the claims in her lengthy response, and described the last few days as “gut wrenchingly difficult” and “overwhelmingly disappointing”.
She said: “My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticised. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed.”
The star continued: “These sensationalised stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.
“As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans.”
Lizzo explained with passion “comes hard work and high standards” which leads to her having to make “hard decisions” but it’s never her “intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team”.
Her statement continued: “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. 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.
“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 criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
She added: “I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”
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