Lizzo’s Past Sexual Comments About BTS And More Resurface Amid Lawsuit

It’s not looking good for Lizzo.
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Koreaboo

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of dieting, body image issues, or eating disorders that may trigger some readers.

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of bullying, graphic content, and sexual assault that may disturb some readers.

American solo music artist Lizzo‘s past problematic comments and actions against K-Pop group BTS have resurfaced amid a lawsuit.

Lizzo
BTS

Lizzo is known to be a body-positive activist. Besides being a successful music artist, she is known to be a member of the BTS ARMY.

Lizzo wearing a “VMIN” top for her biases V and Jimin during “Butter” cover  | @BBCR1/Twitter

It’s not unheard of for Lizzo to listen to BTS songs. Her sister got her onto the group’s music to the point where BTS took over her TikTok FYP. Over the course of the past couple of years, Lizzo has become just as much an ARMY as her, covering “Butter,” attending one of their concerts, and hanging out with her biases at a Harry Styles concert.

Lizzo had become friendly with the BTS members she met them at Styles’ concert, especially J-Hope. She even texted the BTS rapper.

I actually got a text from her recently saying ‘Happy Holidays!’ But I read the text about 2 days after it was sent to me, so I apologized for replying so late.

— J-Hope

Yet, there was a time Lizzo had never heard of BTS before, and the clip of her listening to their music for the first time resurfaced but for the wrong reasons…

On Tuesday, three of Lizzo’s former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against her and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., accusing the musician of creating a hostile work environment. The allegations include sexual harassment, false imprisonment, religious and racial harassment, abuse, “interference with prospective economic advantage,” and body-shaming.

The lawsuit also accuses Lizzo of body-shaming her staff.

After Davis had gained some weight, Lizzo and her choreographer questioned Davis’ commitment to the job, the complaint says. Davis’ lawyers allege that their questions were ‘thinly veiled concerns about [Davis’s] weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to.’

— Insider

The dancers are Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. Both Williams and Davis competed on Lizzo’s Emmy-winning reality TV show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls for their spot on her dance team.

“Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” poster

Lizzo’s dance team captain Shirlene Quigley has also been accused of attempting to convert the dancers to her religion as well as deride those who had premarital sex, even discussing the virginity of a plaintiff. Yet, she herself would allegedly share her sexual fantasies and be explicit.

After discovering that Davis was a virgin, Quigley discussed the subject in interviews and posted about it on social media, the suit says. And when cast members asked her to stop pressuring Rodriguez — whom Quigley regarded as a ‘non-believer,’ according to the suit — about her faith, Quigley responded: ‘No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.’

— NBC News

Shirlene Quigley

According to the backup dancers, Lizzo often had nonmandatory afterparties, but they were pressured to attend due to job security. At an Amsterdam strip club, the dancers were allegedly premeasured to touch nude performers.

At the club, 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,’ the suit says. ‘Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women.’

Davis declined, according to the suit, and Lizzo allegedly led a chant goading her to do so. After Davis declined three more times, the chant ‘grew louder and more strident, demanding a visibly uncomfortable Ms. Davis to engage with the performer.’

When Davis eventually acquiesced and briefly touched the performer, the group burst into laughter, the suit says. Afterward, Lizzo allegedly pressed a member of her security staff to get on stage and began yelling, ‘take it off,’ according to the suit.

— NBC News

At another club in Paris, Lizzo allegedly encouraged her dancers to attend for inspiration purposes. Yet, she had allegedly not informed them that it was a nude cabaret bar.

‘they would be able to learn something or be inspired by the performance,’ the suit says. ‘What Lizzo failed to mention when inviting the dancers to this performance was that it was a nude cabaret bar.’

The suit described the performance as ‘artful,’ but the plaintiffs were ‘shocked that Lizzo would conceal the nature of the event from them, robbing them of the choice not to participate.’

— NBC News

Lizzo’s backup dancers had requested equal treatment. They recognized that the predominantly White production crew was treated better while they, women of color, were disrespected.

In one instance, the former dancers asked to be compensated for their downtime at a rate 50% of their weekly pay, according to the suit. An accountant allegedly responded to the request by offering 25% and scolding them for being ‘unacceptable and disrespectful.’

‘Only the dance cast — comprised of full-figured women of color — were ever spoken to in this manner,’ the suit states.

— NBC News

@thetalkofshame

Just read the lawsuit against Lizzo. Here’s what it says.

♬ original sound – Kiki Monique

In April, Davis had recorded a meeting due to an eye condition that causes her stress and anxiety in situations. According to the suit, Lizzo instigated an emergency meeting a few days later, confiscating dancers’ phones. If that wasn’t enough, after she was fired, Lizzo’s security team allegedly locked her in a room while going through her phone to ensure it was deleted.

‘Lizzo became furious, hurling expletives at the group and stated that she was going to go around the room, person-by-person until someone told Lizzo who made the recording,’ the suit says.

Davis acknowledged recording the meeting, saying said she wanted to have a copy of Lizzo’s performance notes, the suit says. When Davis said she hadn’t meant any harm — and that she’d deleted the video — Lizzo allegedly responded: ‘There is nothing you can say to make me believe you.’

— NBC News

The three dancers who accused Lizzo were fired in April and May. Lizzo allegedly told dancers they’d have to audition again, and they went through an “excruciating” 12-hour rehearsal. Davis said she was so scared she’d lose her job if she went to the bathroom that she soiled her outfit.

She was given a see-through outfit with no undergarments to finish the performance, the suit says.

— NBC News

The suit said, “Ms. Quigley and Lizzo then took turns berating Ms. Davis. After castigating Ms. Davis, Lizzo fire Ms. Davis on the spot.” Rodriguez told Lizzo she felt “disrespected and would resign,” to which the singer responded with expletives and violence. Rodriguez feared she was about to be hit, and Lizzo told her, “Bye, b*tch!” 

Before Lizzo left the meeting, Rodriguez told her that she felt disrespected and would resign, the suit says. Lizzo responded by ‘cracking her knuckles, balling her fists’ and using an expletive to tell Rodriguez she was ‘lucky,’ the suit states.

As Rodriguez left, the suit says, Lizzo raised both her middle fingers and yelled a slur.

The suit does not specify a dollar amount for damages that cover emotional distress including unpaid wages, loss of earnings and attorney’s fees.

— NBC News

Naturally, fans have been shocked by the accusations. Still, some are not surprised. Since the lawsuit against Lizzo was filed, netizens are resurfacing clips of Lizzo that should have given us a clue.

@splotchmaker

AHHHH #rumors #lizzo #biggrrls #greenscreenvideo

♬ original sound – Leah

CBC Music had invited Lizzo to listen to BTS’s “Boy With Luv.” Initially, her reaction was sweet and wholesome, praising the group.

Wait is this BTS? Oh my God! Wait keep playing, I’ve never heard a BTS song.

— Lizzo

Yet, it took an unexpected turn when she described listening to the song as “a sex groove.” She went so far as to say she’d collaborate with BTS but wasn’t sure if she could make it through without wanting to have sex with each member.

Y’all better turn this off I’m about to get pregnant. …If I could collaborate with BTS, I mean, that sounds fun! I don’t know if I could make it through the studio session without having sex with all of them. I’m just kidding. God, that was such a terrible thing to say; I’m sorry, Mom.

— Lizzo

The resurfaced clip went viral with 86.5K views at the time of writing. ARMYs revealed they weren’t surprised by the allegations against her, considering her lewd comments about BTS.

That wasn’t all, though. ARMYs pointed out how Lizzo failed to defend BTS after befriending them at the Harry Styles concert when they were targeted by racist comments provoked by her friend and fellow music artist SZA lying about the members not caring when Lizzo introduced them. Yet, later, a video surfaced showing the members interacting with everyone in Lizzo’s group, including SZA.

Lizzo has yet to respond to the accusations publicly.

On Thursday morning, Lizzo updated her social media updates with a response to the allegations.

Source: Global News, NBC News and Insider

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