Three former employees of Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. have filed a lawsuit against the company, its owner Melissa Jefferson (professionally known as “Lizzo”), and former tour manager Shirlene Quigley.
Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez allege that they were subjected to a hostile work environment that included sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation during their employment with the company.
The lawsuit, filed by the plaintiffs’ attorney Ronald Zambrano of West Coast Employment Lawyers, APLC, alleges that the harassment was so severe and pervasive that it altered the terms and conditions of their employment, making their working conditions intolerable.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs were pressured into participating in a nude photoshoot as contestants on WOFTBG, a widely known reality show.
The plaintiffs’ dance cast captain, defendant Ms. Quigley, is accused of frequently discussing her sexual fantasies and masturbation habits in lurid detail with the cast. The lawsuit goes further to claim that she would publicly practice her oral sex skills on bananas during breaks.
According to the lawsuit, Lizzo has consistently pressured her employees to partake in sexually explicit activities. This includes an incident at Bananenbar in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where Lizzo is accused of coercing her employees to engage with nude performers.
Lizzo also encouraged her employees to catch sex toys ejected from the performers’ vaginas and bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas. The complaint mentions that Ms. Davis repeatedly expressed her discomfort, but her objections were allegedly ignored.
“Plaintiffs and other employees watched as an elated LIZZO shouted at her security guard to remove his pants while he was being whipped,” according to the lawsuit obtained by Deadline.
Lizzo, known for her stance on body positivity, was accused of weight-shaming one of her dancers.
On April 21, 2023, Ms. DAVIS was called into a private meeting with Lizzo and choreographer Tanisha Scott (Ms. Scott). During the meeting, the pair questioned Ms. Davis about changes in her performance and attitude on the dance cast.
In the professional dance world, a dancer’s weight gain is often interpreted as a sign of laziness or declining performance. Ms. Davis alleges that Lizzo and Ms. Scott’s concerns about her commitment to the tour were thinly veiled references to her recent weight gain, a change that Lizzo had previously noticed and commented on at the South by Southwest music festival.
According to the plaintiff, the line of questioning, paired with Lizzo’s previous comments, gave her the impression that she needed to justify her weight gain and share intimate personal details to keep her job.
“The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing,” lawyer Ron Zambrano said in a statement.
Read the entire lawsuit below:
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