Lizzo’s Big Grrrls dance crew have officially spoken out in support of the singer amid a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by her former dancers.
“We had the time of our lives on The Special Tour. We have been so honored to share the stage with such amazing talent,” reads the statement posted to the Big Grrrls Instagram page on Thursday (Aug. 17). “The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly could ask for.”
The lengthy note, which thanks Lizzo for “shattering limitations and kicking in the door way for the Big Grrrl & Big Boiii Dancers to do what we love,” continues: “You have created a platform where we have been able to parallel our Passion with a purpose! Not only for Us, but for Woman and All people breaking barriers.”
The note is signed from “the Big Grrrls and Big Boiiis,” so it is unclear which of the dancers are included in the supportive message.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Los Angeles by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, accuses Lizzo (real name Melissa Jefferson) and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of a wide range of legal wrongdoing and included dozens of pages of detailed factual allegations.
In one allegation, the lawsuit claims that Lizzo pushed the dancers to attend a sex show in Amsterdam’s famed Red Light District and then pressured them to engage with the performers. The lawsuit also detailed alleged outbursts by Lizzo, including an “excruciating re-audition” in April after she accused the dancers of “drinking alcohol before shows”; one dancer claims the ordeal continued for so long that she wet herself because she feared she would be fired if she left the stage. The case also claims Lizzo repeatedly told dancers “none of their jobs were safe” and raised “thinly veiled concerns” about a dancer’s weight gain.
Lizzo denied the claims in a response shared to Twitter, calling them “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories.”
“I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo wrote. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
See the full statement from the Big Grrrls’ Instagram account below.
