Lizzo’s former documentarians have shared details of their experiences following a lawsuit filed against the singer that has accused her of sexual harassment.
On Wednesday (August 2), Sophia Nahli Allison wrote about her brief stint working for the “Juice” singer, saying that she was fortunate to have pulled out of the project given the horrific nature of the recent reports about the 35-year-old’s alleged behavior.
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“In 2019, I traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary: I walked away after about 2 weeks,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “I was treated with such disrespect by her. I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a shitty situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you fucking can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut.”
After revealing that others with similar experiences have reached out to her, she wrote: “Lizzo creates an extremely toxic and hostile working environment and undermines the work, labor, and authority of other black and brown womxn in the process. (Notice how the documentary ended up being directed by a cis white man.)
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“She is a narcissistic bully and has built her brand off of lies. was excited to support and protect a Black woman through the documentary process but quickly learned her image and ‘message’ was a curated facade.”
She subsequently shared an IG story by Charlene Sanchez, who also worked on the same documentary, in which the latter co-signed Allison’s statement. She wrote: “I was part of this documentary with @yagurlsophia! This is all true [melted emoji] I had to vent to so many of my friends about it. It was such a small crew and the experience of working with Lizzo was a nightmare.”
On Tuesday (August 1), Lizzo was accused of fostering a hostile work environment, with three of her former dancers filing suit against her with allegations of fat-shaming, sexual harassment and more.
Among the allegations, the plaintiffs have claimed Lizzo once called attention to one dancer’s weight gain and later berated then fired that person after they recorded a meeting “because of a health condition.”
Explained in more detail, dancer Arianna Davis claimed the singer and her choreographer told her after a SXSW performance that she seemed “less committed” to her role, which she alleged was a “thinly veiled” concern about her weight.
The dancers have also accused Lizzo of pressuring them to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club.
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On Thursday (August 3), the Texas singer released a statement denying the allegations made against her, writing: “These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”