Lizzo, a performer celebrated for her body positivity and embracing her physique, has found herself at the center of controversy. This article delves into the complexities surrounding Lizzo, including allegations of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, as well as discussions about her weight loss journey.
Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, three of Lizzo's former dancers accused the singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit also names Lizzo's production company and the dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, as defendants. The accusations include pressuring a dancer to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club and subjecting the group to an "excruciating" audition after falsely accusing them of drinking on the job.
According to the suit, Lizzo allegedly called attention to one dancer's weight gain after an appearance at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. The singer and her choreographer later told the dancer, Arianna Davis, that she seemed "less committed" to her role, which the suit describes as a "thinly veiled" concern about Davis' weight.
The suit also accuses Quigley, the dance captain, of proselytizing to other performers, deriding those who had premarital sex, sharing lewd sexual fantasies, simulating oral sex, and publicly discussing the virginity of one of the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs believed Lizzo was aware of their complaints about Quigley, according to their lawyer, Ron Zambrano.
The lawsuit brings claims for religious and racial harassment, false imprisonment, interference with prospective economic advantage, and other allegations, in addition to accusations of a hostile work environment and sexual harassment.
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Zambrano stated, "The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing."
Amsterdam Club Incident
The trip to the Amsterdam strip club, Bananenbar, occurred after a performance in the city earlier this year. The suit alleges that Lizzo's afterparties were routine and nonmandatory but that those who attended were favored by the singer and had greater job security.
At the club, Lizzo allegedly 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. The suit states that Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.
After Davis declined multiple times, Lizzo allegedly led a chant goading her to do so. When Davis eventually acquiesced and briefly touched the performer, the group burst into laughter, the suit says. Afterward, Lizzo allegedly pressed a member of her security staff to get on stage and began yelling, “take it off,” according to the suit.
The suit states, “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.”
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Racial and Religious Harassment Claims
The racial harassment claim is linked to what the suit describes as comments “charged with racial and fat-phobic animus" that were made by touring company employees. In one instance, the former dancers asked to be compensated for their downtime at a rate 50% of their weekly pay, according to the suit. An accountant allegedly responded to the request by offering 25% and scolding them for being “unacceptable and disrespectful.” The suit states that only the dance cast, comprised of full-figured women of color, were ever spoken to in this manner.
The religious harassment allegation is connected to Quigley, who allegedly preached her Christian beliefs and “took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations.” After discovering that Davis was a virgin, Quigley discussed the subject in interviews and posted about it on social media, the suit says. And when cast members asked her to stop pressuring Rodriguez about her faith, Quigley responded: “No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.”
Dismissals and Resignation
Two dancers, Williams and Davis, were fired in April and May. According to the suit, Williams lost her job days after she spoke up at a meeting in which she challenged an assertion from Lizzo that the dancers were drinking before performances. During the rehearsal, Davis was so fearful she’d lose her job if she went to the bathroom, she soiled her pants and was given a see-through outfit with no undergarments to finish the performance, the suit says.
When Lizzo raised the issue again the following day, Williams responded, saying the dancers didn’t drink, the suit says. The singer then allegedly offered what the suit describes as a mocking reply: “Well if you’re not, then good for y’all.” Five days later, Lizzo’s tour manager fired Williams in a hotel lobby, attributing the termination to budget cuts, though the suit noted that no one else was fired.
Rodriguez complained to the manager about the decision to publicly fire Williams. Days later, Lizzo held an emergency meeting and had security employees confiscate dancers’ phones, the suit states. Davis acknowledged recording the meeting, saying she wanted to have a copy of Lizzo’s performance notes, the suit says. Lizzo then fired Davis on the spot. Before Lizzo left the meeting, Rodriguez told her that she felt disrespected and would resign, the suit says.
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Lizzo's Response
Lizzo addressed the suit's allegations in a statement Thursday morning, saying she’s "hurt" and called the claims "false," "unbelievable" and "outrageous."
Lizzo's Weight Loss Journey
Amid the controversy, Lizzo has also been open about her "intentional weight release journey." She has shared her experiences with diet and exercise, sparking conversations about body image and health.
Diet and Exercise
Lizzo has been giving fans a look into her fitness routine in recent weeks. In an Aug. 31 Instagram post, the “About Damn Time” hitmaker shared clips on social media of herself hard at work in the gym. The videos feature the artist sharing before-and-after shots of her weight loss while donning her shapewear brand Yitty. One of the clips is soundtracked by Nicki Minaj saying, “The fact that you would even discuss my looks is insane. I’m a bad b--, always been a bad b--.”
Lizzo shared on Instagram Jan. 25, 2025. "Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal. I haven’t seen this number since 2014! Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to. Time for new goals!"
Lizzo shared a before-and-after from her first lymphatic massage with Flavia Lanini vs. She credited the treatment, which targets specific areas to move excess fluid away from tissues and toward lymph vessels and nodes to flush out toxins, along with wood therapy, training three times a week, pickleball, dancing, drinking water, consuming less sugar and more protein, a monthly detox and various other lifestyle adjustments for her health transformation.
Lizzo is no longer vegan. “I heard the Japanese diet was the healthiest diet in the world,” she said. “My body was so happy.
Ozempic and Weight Loss
Lizzo admitted to using Ozempic on the “Just Trish” podcast. “It’s just the science for me, calories in versus calories out,” Lizzo added. “Ozempic works because you eat less food. That’s it.
Body Image and Self-Acceptance
Despite her weight loss journey, Lizzo has emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and body positivity. "I'm not going to lie and say I love my body every day," she told The New York Times in April 2024. "The bottom line is, the way you feel about your body changes every single day. There are some days I adore my body, and others when I don't feel completely positive."
Navigating Public Scrutiny
Lizzo has been candid about her mental health, a topic she’s been open about over the past year amid harassment allegations and public scrutiny. In August 2023, three former tour dancers filed a lawsuit against her, alleging sexual misconduct and hostile work conditions. “I’m the happiest I’ve been in 10 months,” she wrote on Instagram in May. “The strange thing about depression is you don’t know you’re in it until you’re out of it. I’m definitely not all the way as carefree as I used to be. But the dark cloud that followed me every day is finally clearing up.
Lizzo has also recently shared an update about new music. “JUST A LIL ALBUM UPDATE 4 MY REAL LIZZBIANS: I’m making the BEST music of my life- this album (like all my other albums) is a BODY OF TWERK,” she wrote on Instagram alongside photos of herself in the recording studio. “I want you to listen to the WHOLE THING/IN ORDER with a glass of ur favorite wet stuff and ur heart open.
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