Following a recent lawsuit filed against her, Lizzo is still under fire for maintaining a poisonous work atmosphere.
Filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, who says she was previously engaged to direct a documentary on the singer, was motivated by the damning claims of Lizzo’s former dancers to share her unpleasant experience working with the singer on her Instagram stories on Tuesday.
“I spent some time travelling with Lizzo in 2019 to serve as the documentary’s director. After about two weeks, I left,” Allison wrote. “She treated me so disrespectfully. I saw for myself how haughty, selfish, and cruel she is.
“I’m so glad I obeyed my instinct when my spirit told me to run as quickly as I possibly could. I was severely hurt and felt gaslighted, but I’ve recovered,” Allison stated. “Power abuse of this nature occurs far too frequently. I wish the dancers a lot of love and support.The reps of Allison and Lizzo have been contacted by USA TODAY for comment.
Read More: Lizzo’s former documentary director slams singer as ‘narcissistic bully’ amid lawsuit
According to a lawsuit acquired by USA TODAY, Lizzo was sued by her former dancers earlier this week after they claimed she put pressure on them and made fun of their weight. Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez are the three plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. It includes charges of sexual, racial, and religious harassment, assault, false detention, and handicap discrimination.
“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 demoralising,” said Ron Zambrano, the dancers’ attorney, in a release.
Lizzo has not yet responded to the accusations in the media.
The “Special” singer is also charged with having a hostile workplace environment elsewhere in the lawsuit. Lizzo is reported to have made a several accusations against dancers, including “not performing up to par” and “repeatedly accusing the dancers of drinking before shows even though the dance cast had never engaged in such a practise.”
In a subsequent tweet on Wednesday, Allison reiterated her initial accusations of workplace misconduct.
In Allison’s words, “Lizzo undermines the work, labour, and authority of other Black and brown womxn by creating an extremely toxic and hostile work environment.” “She is a narcissistic bully who built her reputation on falsehoods. I was eager to help and defend a Black lady throughout the filming process, but I soon realised that both her image and her “message” were staged.