Lizzo isn’t planning on going down without a fight, as it has been reported that the ‘Truth Hurts’ singer is set to file a countersuit against the dancers who are suing her.
The news of Lizzo’s alleged abuse against her workers broke earlier this month. The thirty-five-year-old has been accused of sexual harassment, and of creating a hostile work environment through sexual, racial and religious harassment by 3 of her backup dancers. It is also alleged that the singer, who has made a name for herself as a body positivity advocate, criticised a dancer for gaining weight, and later slated them for recording a meeting.
Several others who have worked with Lizzo, including her former creative director and another backup dancer, have started verifying the victims’ accusations just hours after the lawsuit brought against the singer by three of her former backup dancers made news.
Lizzo hit back at the claims, writing on her social media accounts: ““These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I chose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
She continued: “The sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
She added that she “know[s] [she] is not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be,” and said that she cannot let people take advantage of her “openness” to “make [her] out to be something [she] is not.”
“There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.
“I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”
It seems that Lizzo is fully committed to clearing her name, as the star is set to countersue the dancers who are suing her.
Lizzo’s attorney Marty Singer, who has represented clients such as Bill Crosby and Kim Kardashian, told TMZ that they have photos showing her accusers “happily carousing” and “gleefully reveling” at a cabaret show in Paris that they claimed they were forced to go to.
The pictures come from a month after one of the biggest issues in their claims, their visit to Bananenbar in Amsterdam where they say they were pressured to eat bananas from the performer’s private parts.
The attorney for Lizzo’s accusers has refuted these claims from Singer.
“Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs. They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial,” she said.
