LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Following the recent lawsuit filed against Lizzo by three of her former backup dancers, more individuals who previously worked with the Grammy-winning artist are coming forward in support of the allegations. Among them are Lizzo's former creative director, Quinn Whitney Wilson, and dancer Courtney Hollinquest, who claim to have experienced similar mistreatment during their time with the singer.
The initial lawsuit also involves dance team captain Shirlene Quigley and Lizzo's production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. The plaintiffs, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, accused the singer of fostering a "sexually charged and uncomfortable" work environment, as per NBC News.
Who is Quinn Whitney Wilson?
Wilson is an American film director based in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her work with American singer, rapper and songwriter Lizzo. She is currently dating King Princess. While not being a part of the ongoing lawsuit, Hollinquest took to her Instagram Story to clarify her stance, stating, "This was very much my experience in my time there. Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light." Wilson echoed the sentiment, acknowledging, “I haven’t been apart of that world for around three years, for a reason,” Wilson wrote. “I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to light. and I grieve parts of my own experience.” “I’d appreciate space to understand my feelings,” she concluded. To which, Hollinquest replied back to, “My sister forever only a few know what we’ve been through … love u Quinn," as per Page Six.
One of the alleged disturbing incidents detailed in the lawsuit alleges that Lizzo pressured Davis to inappropriately touch a nude performer during a tour stop in Amsterdam in February 2023. Subsequently, after a concert, Lizzo reportedly invited the dancers to the Red Light District, where they claim she allegedly encouraged them to engage in explicit and degrading activities involving nude performers, according to Page Six.
Yet once they arrived, Lizzo allegedly “began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas,” as per NBC News. “Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women,” the suit alleges.
Lizzo accused of weight-shaming and discrimination
Despite Davis supposedly informing the singer on three different occasions that she had no desire to touch the nude woman, she claims that Lizzo “pressured” and “goaded” her into complying. The lawsuit further allegedly “badgered a member of her security team to get on stage where she pulled down his pants and hit him with whips, yelling ‘Take it off!'” as per Entertainment Tonight. “Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed,” per the suit.
The three women allege that employees of the touring company “treated the Black members of the dance team differently than other members," as per the source, “Only the dance cast – comprised of full-figured women of color – were ever spoken to in this manner, giving Plaintiffs the impression that these comments were charged with racial and fat-phobic animus."
In April 2023, the singer and choreographer Tanisha Scott allegedly criticized Davis for her weight gain, which, according to the lawsuit, suggested concerns about her commitment to the tour. “In professional dance, a dancer’s weight gain is often seen as that dancer getting lazy or worse off as a performer,” the lawsuit read. “Lizzo’s and Ms. Scott’s questions about Ms. Davis’s commitment to the tour were thinly veiled concerns about Ms. Davis’s weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to after noticing it at the South by Southwest music festival.”
'Absolutely demoralizing!'
According to the plaintiffs, Williams was later fired under the guise of "budget cuts", just after voicing concerns about Lizzo's accusations of drinking before shows. Additionally, Davis claims she was terminated for recording a meeting without Lizzo's knowledge, which reportedly led to an explosive reaction from the singer, as per Entertainment Tonight. In response to Davis's berating, Rodriguez decided to resign, but the situation escalated when Lizzo allegedly confronted her aggressively, raising fears of physical violence.
“Lizzo aggressively approached Ms. Rodriquez, cracking her knuckles, balling her fists, and exclaiming, ‘You’re lucky. You’re so f****ng lucky!’” the suit alleges. “Ms. Rodriguez feared that Lizzo intended to hit her and would have done so if one of the other dancers had not intervened," as per the source, “As Lizzo left the room, she raised both her middle fingers and yelled, ‘Bye, b***h!’” the complaint reads.
As a result of the alleged mistreatment, the plaintiffs are seeking general and special damages, as well as punitive damages and attorneys' fees. The lawsuit does not specify a monetary amount. “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 … absolutely demoralizing,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement.
