Lizzo, the acclaimed musician, is receiving a wave of support from her team in the wake of the shocking harassment lawsuits filed by three former dancers and a wardrobe stylist earlier this year. These lawsuits alleged a hostile work environment under Lizzo’s supervision, with filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison joining in with similar claims, describing her experience working with Lizzo as “extremely toxic.” Adding to the turmoil, wardrobe stylist Asha Daniels recently filed another lawsuit against the Grammy-winning artist, accusing her and her team of racial harassment, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and illegal retaliatory termination.
Lizzo has consistently denied these claims, and now, reports indicate that her legal team has received a letter of support from 18 members of her staff. This letter was reportedly signed by dancers, choreographers, and musicians who are part of Lizzo’s touring company. In the letter, they affirm that they have neither witnessed nor personally experienced any form of harassment or racism during their tenure with Lizzo.
Professional dancer Melissa Locke, in her statement, asserted,
“Having worked with Lizzo for years, it is my personal belief that Lizzo would never body shame anyone, including Davis, or comment on her weight in a negative and hurtful manner.”
Locke’s comment appears to address the initial lawsuit in which Lizzo was accused of body-shaming a dancer named Arianna Davis.
Dancer Jayla Sullivan also attested that they had “never observed” Lizzo harassing Davis over her weight, adding,
“Lizzo inspired all of us to celebrate and love ourselves and our bodies as we are.”
This is not the first time that Lizzo has faced accusations from former employees who have defended her. In August, dancers from her “BIG GRRRLS” team released a statement on Instagram expressing gratitude to Lizzo for their tour experience. This statement came shortly after the entertainer was initially sued.
The initial lawsuit, brought by professional dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, also alleged that Lizzo had once threatened Rodriguez with physical violence. However, the letter of support authored by other staffers contradicted this claim. Dancer Kiara Mooring stated,
“I am familiar with the allegation in the complaint that Rodriguez was in fear of being physically attacked by Lizzo during the May 3, 2023 meeting when she resigned. I was at that meeting… Lizzo never got near Rodriguez or in her face. Her voice got higher because she was upset and felt that her trust was betrayed.”
Written by:
Dana Sterling-Editor
