Photo: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
On Friday, Lizzo, who’s been embroiled in allegations of workplace harassment since August, published an Instagram post suggesting she’s done working. “I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” she wrote. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.”
Lizzo did not explicitly name the two lawsuits that were brought against her last year by employees on her 2022 tour, but she referred to “lies being told about me for clout & views,” as well as “being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look” and “my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name.”
“I didn’t sign up for this shit,” she concluded. “I QUIT” — followed by a peace-sign emoji.
Lizzo — whose legal name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson — was accused of creating a hostile work environment and sexually harassing her employees in August, when three of her former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against her, her production company, and her dance captain. The dancers claimed they were overworked, body-shamed, and pressured to put themselves in uncomfortable situations that revolved around sexuality and nudity while on tour with the singer in 2022. Their suit also alleged Black dancers were treated worse than the white members of the team. A second suit was filed in September by Asha Daniels, a stylist who worked on the same tour and leveled similar claims of “widespread racial and sexual harassment.”
In a statement posted to Instagram shortly after the first suit was filed, Lizzo denied the accusations of her three former dancers, calling them “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories.” Her lawyers requested both suits be thrown out. In February, a judge denied one of the motions but agreed to remove certain aspects of the first suit, including the allegations of fat-shaming and a nude photo shoot, determining they were protected by free-speech laws.
Meanwhile, Lizzo has pressed on with some of her work. She appeared on the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of Beyoncé’s Renaissance documentary and presented at the Grammys earlier this year. Last week, she released a swimwear line under her size-inclusive shapewear brand, Yitty, telling the New York Times, “I’ve made my own wardrobe, and now I get to be the CEO and supermodel for my brand.” She declined to comment on the lawsuits during the interview.
The Cut has reached out to Lizzo’s representation for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
