Lizzo's Former Documentary Director Calls Her 'Arrogant, Self-Centered, And Unkind'

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | August 2, 2023 |

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | August 2, 2023 |

Yesterday, the world wept, for Lizzo, our bright, shining beacon of body positivity (and positivity in general), was sued by former backup dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. They accused the 35-year-old star of sexual harassment, weight shaming, creating a hostile work environment, false imprisonment, and more. Obviously, these disturbing allegations are in direct conflict with everything Lizzo stood for. Or, at least, what she and her team wanted us to believe she stood for. Damn, I’m starting to think we can’t … trust… celebrities?

In the wake of the lawsuit, some of Lizzo’s former collaborators have come out of the woodwork to share their thoughts. And it’s … not good (for Lizzo). Her ex-dancer, Courtney Hollinquest, shared a headline about the allegations to her Instagram Story, with this caption:

For clarification, I’m not apart of this lawsuit - but this was very much my experience in my time there. Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light.

Lizzo’s former creative director, Quinn Wilson, reposted Courtney’s Story to her Story, and wrote:

echoing what @cquestt said. I haven’t been apart of that world for around three years, for a reason. I very much applaude the dancers courage to bring this to light. And I grieve parts of my own experience. Id appreciate space to understand my feelings.

Then there’s filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison. Sophia took to social media to share that, back in 2019, she “traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary.” But the collaboration did not last long:

I walked away after about 2 weeks. I was treated with such disrespect by her.

I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a shitty situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you fucking can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gaslit and was deeply hurt, but I’ve healed.

Reading these reports made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was. This kind of abuse of power happens far too often. Much love and support to the dancers.

Sophia re-posted her Instagram Story on Twitter:

Sharing this because validating other Black women's experiences is deeply important to me. pic.twitter.com/gd2xEK6szq

— Sophia Nahli Allison (@SophiaNAllison) August 1, 2023

Another person who worked on the doc, Charlene Sanchez, reposted Sophia’s Story, and added her two cents:

I was part of this documentary with @yagurlsophia! This is all so true. I had to vent to so many of my friends about it. It was such a small crew and the experience of working with Lizzo was a nightmare.

Then there’s Beyoncé’s response. That’s right, THE QUEEN is aware of the lawsuit! At last night’s Renaissance concert in Boston, Beyoncé omitted Lizzo’s name during her performance of “Break My Soul (Queen’s Remix)”. Usually, Lizzo’s name appears in the lyrics alongside other Black stars like Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, and Nicki Minaj. But video from last night’s concert shows Bey skipping Lizzo, and instead repeating Erykah Badu’s name four times:

Beyoncé seemingly skips over Lizzo’s name during the Queens Remix performance of ‘Break My Soul’ tonight at the Renaissance World Tour.

She instead repeats Erykah Badu’s name four times.

pic.twitter.com/KhCC3TBbLF

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 2, 2023

Oh, so this is serious serious. As of this afternoon, Lizzo and her team have yet to publicly respond to this mess. But stay tuned…