After a lawsuit was filed earlier this week by Lizzo's former backup dancers, accusing her of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, the singer is responding. On Thursday morning, Lizzo released a statement in response to the filing, and according to her, this has all been "sensationalized."
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On Tuesday, Lizzo's former dancers filed a lawsuit against her, her tour company, and her dance captain.
In the lawsuit, plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez claimed that Lizzo had engaged in racial and sexual harassment, along with alleged weight-shaming that was disguised as a concern about their commitment to the tour.
"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," lawyer Ron Zambrano wrote in the filing.
Now, Lizzo is finally responding to the allegations.
Nearly 48 hours after news of the lawsuit broke, Lizzo has taken to Instagram to share her side of the story.
"These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing," she wrote. "My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed. These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."
She went on to say that sometimes, she has to make 'hard decisions' about who's on her team.
"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," she continued. "Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never been my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team."
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She wrote that she is not a 'victim,' but she is also not the 'villain' of this situation.
"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," she wrote. "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 than 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 criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight."
She went on to thank everyone who has shown her support during this time.
So far, those accusing Lizzo haven't spoken out about her statement.
At this point, it's hard to say what's true — though multiple people, including a director who worked with Lizzo on her documentary, have also come forward this week to share similar stories of their experiences with the singer.
It will certainly be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming days.
