The About Damn Time singer is being sued by three of her backup dancers for sexual misconduct and creating a hostile work environment. Among other things, the dancers claim to have been forced to eat bananas from sex workers’ vaginas in an Amsterdam sex bar.
This is meant to have happened in February of this year, when Lizzo took a trip to Amsterdam with her team.
She and approximately 20 other people went to the infamous Bananenbar for a night, during which dancers were allegedly forced into situations they did not want to be in.
Sexual misconduct — in many ways
One dancer has come forward and accused Lizzo of forcing them to touch a naked performer, even though they were not comfortable doing so.
While on the night out, Lizzo also “began inviting other cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas”, according to the lawsuit.
Lizzo’s former creative director, along with one of her former dancers, share support for the lawsuit filed against the singer:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 1, 2023
“I’m not apart of the lawsuit – but this was very much my experience in my time there… I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to… pic.twitter.com/ojxxQ7l28m
Why is this lawsuit coming now if this happened in February? Well, that’s because, apparently, this behaviour was not a one-time thing. The dancers claim that just a month later, Lizzo once again “deceived them into attending a nude show”.
Inappropriate remarks and a hostile work environment
Another dancer on Lizzo’s crew accused her of commenting on her weight gain. This has come as a shock to fans, who know Lizzo as being very vocal about body positivity.
The singer also allegedly accused one of the dancers of drinking on the job, fired another one for recording one of their meetings for notes, and subjected them all to an “excruciating re-audition”.
This re-audition was so intense, in fact, that one of the dancers allegedly “soil(ed) herself” onstage for fear of what would happen if she excused herself to use the restroom.
Lizzo’s dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley, has also faced accusations. Dancers claim that she repeatedly made derogatory remarks about dancers who had sex before marriage and that she tried to convert these “infidel dancers”, de Telegraaf reports.
What does Lizzo say?
While Lizzo herself has yet to respond to the allegations, the staff at Bananenbar has issued a statement.
According to de Telegraaf, they have claimed that they remember the night as a “very pleasant eventing on which nothing strange happened”.
READ MORE | The complete and unadulterated guide to sex in the Netherlands
Bananenbar also states that their bar staff is trained to respond to signs of discomfort or threats, but they noticed nothing other than a relaxed atmosphere that February evening.
Have you been keeping up with this Lizzo scandal? Tell us in the comments!