US pop star Lizzo said she was in a “very dark” place but “music saved my life” after three former dancers filed a lawsuit against her.
In August 2023, the US singer and her production company were sued by ex-dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who accused the Good As Hell singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
At the time, the pop singer described the allegations as “gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing”, saying the claims are “as unbelievable as they sound”.
In her first interview on the matter, Lizzo said on the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast: “The last year and a half, I needed time to process and grow as a person.
“I was literally living in my dream and then the tour ended, and three dancers just completely blindsided me with a lawsuit.”
Grammy-winning star Lizzo said it was the sexual harassment allegations against her which “upsets me the most”, but called the claims “silly” and “ridiculous”.
“Let’s be clear, I did nothing wrong,” she told Palmer.
The 36-year-old said she was in the recording studio “immediately” after the lawsuit was filed, writing “so many songs that the world will never hear because I was angry”.
“Music saved my life, straight up, because that period of my life… that period of my life was very dark because of the feeling of betrayal,” Lizzo said, becoming emotional.
“I hired you, I believed in you, and to feel betrayed on that level was deeply earth-shattering.”
In September 2023, similar allegations were made against Lizzo by stylist Asha Daniels who alleged she was subject to racial and sexual harassment and a hostile work environment while on tour with Lizzo.
Earlier this month, a US judge dismissed the allegations against Lizzo as an individual, however her company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc remains a defendant in the ongoing case.
Lizzo told Palmer: “We’re continuing to fight the other claims until they’re all dismissed, and not dropped, dismissed.”
Lawyer Ron Zambrano said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Following up on reporting about comments Lizzo made on a podcast appearance regarding being dismissed from a lawsuit, we just wanted to clarify that Lizzo remains a defendant in the harassment lawsuit filed by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, which is currently being reviewed by the court of appeals.”
