Lizzo will not back down in backup dancers lawsuit: “The truth is less salacious than the headlines”

Lizzo has said she will keep fighting the lawsuit brought by three former backup dancers, claiming “the truth is less salacious than the headlines”.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed in August 2023 by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who made allegations of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment during their time working with the singer between 2021 and 2023. Lizzo has denied all of the allegations.

Now, Lizzo has given an interview to CBS Mornings in which she said she is as determined as ever not to settle the suit out of court.

“I think it is an easy out, but I’m fighting the case because I know that it’s not true,” she said, before explaining that she would be prepared to take the stand and testify if that’s what it comes to.

“I would look fabulous while doing it,” she said. “I’m not afraid of the truth. The truth is less salacious than the headlines.”

A key element of the original lawsuit, in which the dancers claimed that Lizzo had fat-shamed Davis and later fired her, was dismissed by a judge in December.

Lizzo later said that allegation had “no merit in court”, but the remainder of the case remains active, including an accusation of inappropriate conduct during a night out in Amsterdam in early 2023. Lizzo disputes all allegations.

In October 2023, Lizzo described the suit as a “fabricated sob story” and filed her own motion asking the court to dismiss it, alleging that the dancers had shown a “pattern of gross misconduct”.

Lizzo is preparing to release her third studio album ‘Bitch’ on June 5 (pre-order here), and she has also shared the title track, which interpolates Meredith Brooks’ 1997 hit of the same name.

The album will be the first since her 2022 release ‘Special’. NME’s four-star review said: “Perhaps inevitably, given Lizzo’s overwhelmingly positive message, ‘Special’ is sometimes a bit cheesy. Still, it’s cheesy in a way you won’t want to resist.” Critic Nick Levine then concluded: “Lizzo knows exactly who she is as an artist and what she wants to achieve: she’s the bad bitch with an incredible talent for making people feel good.”

Earlier this month, the ‘Good As Hell’ singer revealed she vowed to remain a virgin until winning a Grammy, and then lost her virginity in 2020 when she won three. She also shared that she did not have her “first kiss” until she was 21.