Three of Lizzo’s former dancers who are suing her for alleged harassment, discrimination and numerous workplace violations have responded to the singer’s “I quit” Instagram post with disdain.
On Friday, the Grammy winner wrote, “I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the Internet … I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout and views … being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look … my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name. I didn’t up for this s–t. I QUIT.”
“It’s a joke that Lizzo would say she is being bullied by the Internet when she should instead be taking an honest look at herself. Her latest post is just another outburst seeking attention and trying to deflect from her own failings as she continues to blame everyone else for the predicament she is in,” read the statement from attorney Ron Zambrano, a partner and employment litigation chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers, who is representing the plaintiffs.
The statement continued, “Lizzo’s legal and public relations strategy is a failure, so she is desperately trying to play the victim. She has thrown these childish tantrums before. No one actually believes she is quitting music. But she should quit sexually harassing, shaming and bullying her employees and finally accept responsibility for her actions.”
Zambrano’s statement also compared Lizzo’s “celebrity toxicity” to that of rapper and accused sex trafficker P. Diddy, as well as disgraced former Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider, whose bad behavior was detailed in the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet on Set.”
“Lizzo’s conduct will not be tolerated, either. There is no more safe place in society for this sort of behavior as the entire industry is in for a reckoning for permitting such vile treatment of employees in the workplace,” the statement concluded.
The dancers’ lawsuit was filed against Lizzo on Aug. 1, 2023. She has also been sued by former costume designer Asha Daniels, who claimed she’d faced a “culture of racism and bullying” when working with the “Good as Hell” singer. Lizzo has denied all the allegations, saying her conduct with her dancers was “justified.” She has asked for both cases to be dismissed and claimed that Daniels “failed to perform the work she was assigned.”
Zambrano’s statement further noted, “She can make all of this go away simply by seizing the opportunity here to set an example, own up to her mistakes, pay what’s due to those she’s wronged and work on becoming a better person.”