Lizzo lawsuit news: Pop star says ‘I’m not the villain’ as she denies dancers’ body shaming allegations – latest

Two of the plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit have given their first interviews since the filing was announced yesterday.

Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams began dancing for Lizzo after competing on her Amazon Prime Video reality show, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in 2021.

“If there’s anything that I can do in my power to ensure that dancers or singers or whoever decides to work with her don’t have to go through that same experience, I’m going to do that,” Williams told CBS.

Dancer discussed alleged incident in Amsterdam nightclub

Beyoncé‘s mother has addressed speculation the singer left out Lizzo’s name from a song during a show on her Renaissance tour after news of the lawsuit broke.

The same night that the allegations were made public, Beyoncé was performing in Boston, Massachusetts. During the show, she changed the lyrics of “Break My Heart (The Queens Remix)”, in which she lists the names of female Black artists, including Lizzo, Erykah Badu, Betty Davis, and her sister Solange Knowles.

While singing the song on Tuesday, fans noted, she didn’t do the usual shoutouts – choosing to repeat “Badu” four times instead. Some speculated the omission was connected to the accusations against Lizzo.

Shortly after, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson, addressed this fan theory on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Beyoncé didn’t say Lizzo’s name during her performance of ‘Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)’ on Tuesday

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kahanna Montrese is among the first celebrities to come out in support of Lizzo following the damaging allegations brought against her.

The “Truth Hurts” singer publicly addressed the “outrageous” accusations for the first time on Thursday (3 August) on Instagram.

Responding to Lizzo’s Instagram statement, in which she called the allegations “false” and “as unbelievable as they sound”, Montrese, 30, pleaded for the popstar: “Please don’t let this define you.

“As someone who has actually worked with you and your crew,” the season 11 RuPaul alum wrote, “I can say Lizzo has created one of the most uplifting, fun, diverse, and supportive shows I’ve ever been a part of.”

The season 11 RuPaul alum added: “I will never forget how special you made us all feel working with you.”

One part of the lawsuit has got a lot of people talking. At an Amsterdam strip club, Lizzo allegedly “hounded” her employees to interact with nude employees.

The suit alleges that the singer “began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.

“Lizzo then turned her attention to [plaintiff] Ms Davis and began pressuring M. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.”

Davis eventually acquiesced after facing peer pressure from Lizzo, the suit says, causing the rest of the group to burst into laughter.

“Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed,” the suit says.

Dancer discussed alleged incident in Amsterdam nightclub

In her first statement since news that three dancers are suing Lizzo for sexual harassment and workplace misconduct, the singer has denied she fat-shamed the plaintiffs.

“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 said.

The ‘Good as Hell’ singer has crafted a globally successful brand of body positivity and self-love, backed up by a litany of empowerment anthems.

But as the star faces shocking allegations in a new lawsuit, Kate Ng looks at how she got here:

Lizzo has responded to a lawsuit accusing her of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct, including fat-shaming, that was filed by former members of her dance troupe.

In an Instagram post, she wrote: “These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing.

“My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticised,” she wrote.

“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 continued: “These sensationalised stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”

“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.

“With passion comes hard work and high standards,” she stated.