Pop star Lizzo is facing a lawsuit from three of her former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, who have accused her of various offenses, including sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, also alleges sexual, religious, and racial harassment, discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.

The former dancers claim they endured “sexually denigrating behaviour” and were “pressured into participating in disturbing sex shows” between 2021 and 2023. One allegation against Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, is that she “pressured Ms Davis to touch the breasts”of a performer at a nightclub in Amsterdam. Ms. Davis resisted initially but eventually complied, “fearing it may harm her future on the team” if she didn’t comply.

Lizzo and dance choreographer Tanisha Scott are accused of weight-shaming Ms. Davis during the tour, making her feel the need to explain her weight gain and share intimate personal details to retain her job. The lawsuit also accuses the dance team’s captain, Shirlene Quigley, of pushing her Christian beliefs on performers and openly discussing one dancer’s virginity on social media.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges racial discrimination by the production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc.’s management team. It claims that black members of the dance troop were treated differently and faced disparaging remarks, while other dancers were not subjected to the same treatment.

The dancers also claim they were not fairly compensated during Lizzo’s European tour, receiving only 25% of their weekly pay while not performing, while other performers received 50%. They were also allegedly restricted from working on other projects while on tour.

Two of the dancers, Ms. Davis and Ms. Williams, met Lizzo while preparing for a reality TV show in March 2021. The third dancer, Ms. Rodriguez, was hired later to perform in Lizzo’s music video in May 2021 and continued to be part of the dance troop.

Ms. Davis and Ms. Williams were subsequently fired from the dance team, while Ms. Rodriguez resigned due to the alleged mistreatment of her fellow colleagues. Lizzo and the accused parties have yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.