Lizzo lashes out after backlash from dancer lawsuits: 'I quit'
Pop star Lizzo lashed out on social media following backlash over lawsuits from dancers who accused the artist of fostering a hostile work environment, saying she's tired of "being dragged."
“I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” the “Juice” singer said in an Instagram post Friday. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it."
"But I'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it," she continued. "I'm constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views... being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look... my character being picked apart by people who don't know me and disrespecting my name," she added.
Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, also claimed she would "quit" the music business, adding “I didn't sign up for this sh--."
Her emotional post comes just two days after she performed at a multimillion-dollar fundraiser held by President Biden. An attorney for the former backup dancers who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her in August, criticized the performance.
“It’s shameful that Lizzo would be chosen to headline an event like this amid such egregious allegations,” attorney Ron Zambrano told NewsNation, which is also owned by The Hill's parent company, Nexstar Media Group.
“Without getting into the politics, I can’t imagine why anyone would want Lizzo representing them in any way, given her reprehensible behavior," he added. "It’s just a terrible look.”
In their lawsuit, the former dancers — Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams — accused Lizzo, her production company and another employee of “creating a hostile, abusive work environment and making their working conditions intolerable.”
Attorneys for Lizzo have said that the dancers were rightfully fired due to poor conduct, and she filed a motion to dismiss the suit in October.
“Plaintiffs missed flights, arrived late and hungover to rehearsals and drunk to performances, entered into consensual sexual relationships with male crew members on tour, exhibited a rapid decline in the quality of their dancing and professionalism, and ultimately conspired to make and disseminate an unauthorized recording of a creative meeting with Lizzo and the dance cast,” an October filing reads, according to Rolling Stone.
The Hill has reached out to Zambrano.