Lizzo's Ex-Dancers Detail Shocking Night at Red-Light District Club: 'Aghast With How Little Regard She Showed for Their Bodily Autonomy'
Three former dancers who were employed by Lizzo said she and her management team fostered a "hostile" and "sexually charged" work environment in an explosive lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to the plaintiffs, some dancers were weight-shamed, forced to endure sexually denigrating behavior, and preaching about sexuality and Christianity.
The bombshell lawsuit is against Lizzo (real name: Melissa Viviane Jefferson), her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, captain of her dance team. According to the complaint, Quigley allegedly pushed her Christian beliefs onto dancers.
Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez claimed they endured harassment while working for Lizzo and reluctantly participated in events they did not wish to due to "feeling the looming pressure of job insecurity."
Davis and Williams first crossed paths with the Truth Hurts performer in March 2021 ahead of their debut on her reality show, Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, while Rodriguez was hired two months later to appear in Lizzo's Rumors music video and continued her employment as a member of the dance team.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs cited a wild night out following a show in Amsterdam, Netherlands, months ago in February.
The singer had invited the dancers out with her and while attendance was "not mandatory," it was "well known that cast members were expected to endear themselves to Lizzo," the complaint stated. They believed those who did endear themselves to Lizzo during their employment were in a higher standing and offered more opportunities to work with the About Damn Time singer.
Lizzo and boyfriend Myke Wright
Recalling the evening in Amsterdam, her former dancers said Lizzo invited them out to the notorious Red-Light District, "known for its abundance of sex theaters, sex shops, and clubs and bars where nudity is on full display," and opted to take them to a local hotspot called Bananenbar "where patrons are allowed to interact with completely nude performers."
It was on that night that Davis claimed she was pressured by Lizzo to "touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club," which she denied before the "chorus became overwhelming" and she "acquiesced in an attempt to bring an end to the chants."
Davis alleged that she abashedly laughed along while trying to hide her discomfort at the situation. The plaintiffs said they were also "unable to avoid witnessing" her incredibly public PDA with her boyfriend, Myke Wright, to whom she was first linked to in March 2021.
According to the plaintiffs, Lizzo's wild night out included the singer badgering a security guard to get on the stage until he submitted to her demands.
"When he got on the stage, his pants were pulled down, exposing his buttocks. Lizzo then began yelling, 'take it off!' while a club performer hit the security guard with whips."
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The complaint continued, "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."
RadarOnline.com has learned the plaintiffs also alleged Lizzo again invited them out to Crazy Horse in Paris this March without telling them they would be attending a nude cabaret bar — "robbing them of the choice not to participate."
Lizzo has not yet responded to the explosive lawsuit. RadarOnline.com has reached out to her representatives for comment.
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