Melissa Vivianne Jefferson (aka Lizzo) is being sued by three of her former dancers over sexual harassment.
The dancers allege that Lizzo and her company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc created a hostile environment for its workers with racial, sexual and religious harassment reported across numerous incidents from 2021 to 2023.
One dancer claimed they were forced to touch a nude performer in a danceclub in Amsterdam, another saying they were harassed for their religious beliefs and ridiculed sexually.
Lizzo’s dance captain Shirlene Quigley has been named in the suit along with Lizzo (Melissa Jefferson) and the Big Grrrl Big Touring company.
The plaintiffs laywer Ron Zambrano said in a statement, “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.”
The suit is explicit. In it, it accused the defendants of “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 Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.”
It is alleged Lizzo invited her staff to the club “to learn something or be inspired”.
Two of the dancers claim they were first after challenging Lizzo at a staff meeting.
Lizzo is also accused of threatening and bullying the dancers.
Lizzo recently completed a tour of Australia.
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