Is Beyoncé distancing herself from Lizzo following the lawsuit filed by her former dancers on allegations of harassment and creating a hostile work environment?
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed against the “Good as Hell” singer; her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc.; and her dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley on Tuesday morning, Beyoncé opted not to sing Lizzo’s name while performing “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” at her Renaissance World Tour stop outside of Boston that night.
In the remix’s third verse, Queen Bey lists names of influential Black women in music and sings in one of the lines: “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles; Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl.'”
However, during the concert at Gillette Stadium, according to fan-filmed videos, the 41-year-old performer instead sang, “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles; Badu, Badu, Badu, Badu.”
Lizzo Sued by Former Backup Dancers for Alleged Sexual, Racial Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
Beyoncé performing in May 2023.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
While the omission of Lizzo’s name is notable following the high-profile lawsuit, it’s possible that Beyoncé also chose to repeat Erykah Badu’s name after the “Tyrone” performer seemed to claim she’d copied her style.
On Sunday, Badu posted a photo of herself and the former Destiny’s Child member wearing similar chrome brimmed hats to her Instagram Story alongside the caption, “Hmmm. I guess I’m everybody’s stylist.”
In the lawsuit filed against Lizzo on Tuesday, three of her former dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — alleged that they were pressured by the 35-year-old star into touching nude performers while at a club in Amsterdam and were forced to endure weight shaming.
The suit also accuses Quigley of proselytizing everyone around her, shaming those who engaged in premarital sex and “oversharing her masturbatory habits and sex life with her husband.”
Lizzo — who is known for embracing body positivity — was also accused of weight shaming by Davis.
The dancers also claimed they faced racial harassment from BGBT management, which they allege “treated the Black members of the dance team differently than other members.”
Additional allegations including false imprisonment and interference with prospective economic advantage also appear in the lawsuit. However, not all of the claims pertain to all of the defendants.
“The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing,” the plaintiffs’ lawyer Ron Zambrano said in a statement.
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Lizzo.
FilmMagic
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Davis and Williams, began performing with Lizzo after competing on her Amazon reality show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls in 2021, the suit says. They were later fired.
Rodriguez was hired after performing in Lizzo’s video “Rumors” the same year, according to the suit, but she resigned earlier in 2022.
A rep for Lizzo has not yet replied to a request for comment. Quigley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A rep for Lizzo’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., could not be reached for comment.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour continues Saturday evening in Maryland.
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Source: HIS Education