Lizzo has broken her silence after she was accused of fat-shaming and sexual harassment by three of her former backing dancers in a new lawsuit.
The songstress - real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson - is being sued by the dancers who accuse the Grammy winner of sexual harassment after allegedly pressurising her crew to touch the breasts of a nude woman in the notorious Red Light District of Amsterdam.
The suit claims Lizzo allegedly encouraged her tour crew into “catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.”
They also accuse the Juice singer, who routinely champions body positivity, for calling out one of her dancers Arianna Davis- for gaining weight and shaming her for not being committed to her role in front of her crew before firing her.
Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez make numerous charges including sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.
In light of the lawsuit, the Truth Hurts singer addressed the claims levelled against her in a lengthly Instagram post on Thursday, branding the accusations “unbelievable” and admitting the past few days have been “gut wrenching” for her.
She began: “These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhemingly disappointing. 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 not to be addressed.
“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” the hitmaker continued.
“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. 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.”
Lizzo insisted she’s not trying to look like “a victim” but wanted to stand up for herself in the wake of the lawsuit and share her side of the story.
She added: “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villian that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannout 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 llike to be body shamed on a dauly basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.
“I'm hurt but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this.”
The American songstress concluded the post by thanking her fans for their continued support, writing: “I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”
Earlier this year, Lizzo won the Grammy for record of the year for her hit About Damn Time. A global tour supporting her fourth studio album, 2022’s Special, wrapped up last month.
