Within hours of Lizzo breaking her silence on the lawsuit filed by three of her ex-dancers — who allege that the star sexually harassed her employees and facilitated a hostile work environment — plaintiffs Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez have already responded.
Sitting down for a live interview with CNN This Morning, the three women agreed that they were disappointed by the statement Lizzo had posted hours earlier, two days after the suit was first filed. In her written statement, the Grammy winner insisted that their claims were “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories,” adding, “I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.”
“I want to say that reading it just kind of furthered … my disappointment in regards to the situation, just because the facts are the facts,” Williams told host Phil Mattingly. “What we experienced and what we witnessed is absolutely what happened. There’s nothing sensationalized about it. So, all that I can hope is that people focus more so on the facts rather than the court of public opinion.”
“Looking at the response from Lizzo was so disheartening because she was there,” Davis agreed. “She was there. And to fix your hand to write on a piece of paper that you don’t believe, that you discredit everything we’re saying is incredibly frustrating.”
Davis went on to double down on some of the claims she made in the lawsuit, including one instance where she felt Lizzo body-shamed her, and another in which she was allegedly pressured to engage with nude performers at a sex show in Amsterdam. Davis also claimed in the lawsuit that Lizzo had the dancers re-audition for their spots as backup dancers on tour, an allegedly “excruciating” process that led to Davis wetting herself on stage out of fear of what might happen if she left to use the bathroom.
Lizzo’s statement did not address the accusations in the lawsuit individually, but she noted that the allegations were “coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.” The star — who is known for being outspoken about body positivity — added in her statement: “With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”
The plaintiffs’ attorney Ron Zambrano — who was also on CNN This Morning — added that he “one hundred percent” expects more people to come forward soon with more stories of harassment or toxic work conditions, which he believes will back up Davis, Rodriguez and Williams’ claims. “People have already come on social media to support our clients,” the lawyer said. “People have already reached out to my office through social media. I believe more people will come forward.”
Watch the interview below:
