On Tuesday, 1 August, three dancers who were previously part of Lizzo's tour filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexual harassment, weight-shaming and creating a ‘toxic’ work environment. It also named her production company and her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley.
On Thursday, 3 August, Lizzo took to Instagram and responded to the allegations.
“These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing,” the singer began. “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 to not be addressed.”
Lizzo was sued by three former dancers for alleged sexual harassment, and there could be more to come.
The statement 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. With passion comes hard work and high standards,” wrote Lizzo to her 13.4M followers. “Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren't valued as an important part of the team.”
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The statement continued to say: “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 that 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.”
In the final slide of her statement on Instagram, Lizzo said “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.”
This article will be updated.
