Warning: Discussion of sexual harassment.
On Aug. 1, three of Lizzo’s former employees filed a lawsuit accusing her of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
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The employees in question — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — are being represented by lawyer Ron Zambrano, who 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.”
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Lizzo’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, and dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, are also named in the lawsuit alongside the singer, though each of them is facing different allegations.
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The suit alleges that Lizzo once pressured her dancers to participate in a sex show that took place inside a strip club in Amsterdam. According to the former employees’ claims, Lizzo began "inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers" — which Arianna allegedly declined to do four times — and "eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas."
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As a result, Lizzo has faced growing backlash since the former employees’ claims were made public — and on Aug. 3, she addressed the lawsuit in a lengthy statement shared to her social media pages.
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“With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren't valued as an important part of the team,” she continued.
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“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.”
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She added, “I'm hurt but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”
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Other IG users expressed that they were “beyond disappointed” with Lizzo’s statement as they accused her of “diminishing the victims’ claims.”
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Presumably as a result, Lizzo’s follower count has dropped significantly over the past 24 hours.
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According to statistics site Social Blade, Lizzo lost a total of 132,942 Instagram followers the same day she posted her statement denying her former employees’ claims.
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In the hours since, she’s lost a further 22,139, bringing her total number of lost followers over the past 24 hours up to 155,081.
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What’s more, Lizzo lost a total of 34,604 Instagram followers on Aug. 1 — the day the suit was filed — and Aug. 2, the day before she spoke out. This means she’s lost almost 200,000 followers since the allegations came to light.
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