Former Lizzo team members react to lawsuit allegations, share their experiences
Other former members of Lizzo’s touring team are reacting to news of allegations levied against the “Juice” artist by sharing personal accounts of working with the singer.
On Tuesday, news broke that three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed a lawsuit against the body-positive singer alleging sexual harassment and hostile working conditions, among other accusations.
Oscar-nominated documentarian Sophia Nahli Allison came forward after the news of the lawsuit to say she “walked away” from directing a Lizzo documentary in 2019 after allegedly experiencing poor working conditions.
A trio of Lizzo’s former dancers are accusing the singer and her touring team of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, among other allegations.
“[I]n 2019, I traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary. I walked away after about two weeks,” she wrote in an X post. “I was treated with such disrespect by her. I witnessed how arrogant and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a s— situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you f— can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gaslit and was deeply hurt but I’ve healed.”
She added that the lawsuit made her notice how “dangerous” her previous working situation was and confirmed her stance that “abuse of power happens far too often.”
Dancer Courtney Hollinquest, who says she was once a member of Lizzo’s dance team, reacted to the news on her Instagram Story.
“For clarification, I’m not apart of the lawsuit — but this was very much my experience in my time there,” she alleged. “Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light.”
The lawsuit against Emmett alleges that the producer called rapper 50 Cent the N-word during an office outburst in 2020.
Lizzo’s former creative director Quinn Whitney Wilson reaffirmed Hollinquest’s sentiment by reposting the dancer’s note and bringing forth accusations on her Instagram Story.
“Echoing what [Hollinquest] said. I haven’t been apart of that world for around three years, for a reason. I very much applaude the dancers courage to bring this to light. And I grieve parts of my own experience. I’d appreciate space to understand my feelings.”
Representatives for Lizzo did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
In a potential acknowledgment of the accusation against Lizzo, Beyoncé omitted the “About Damn Time” singer’s name from “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” which names several big-name luminaries, during an Aug. 1 performance in Boston. The set took place only a few hours after the allegations came to light.
Behold, the most viral moments from Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour — from Blue Ivy’s cameo to Queen Bey’s tribute to the late Tina Turner.
While some saw the oversight as a diss, others saw it as a way for Bey to address perceived drama between her and “On & On” singer Erykah Badu. Bey repeated “Badu” during the song — four times — in lieu of the remix’s original lyrics, “Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl.”
On July 30, Badu called out the “Cuff It” singer for allegedly copying one of her signature looks on the tour.
Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
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