New Allegations Against Lizzo Come to Light in Wake of Lawsuit

Lizzo is facing even more accusations after three of her former dancers filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing the “Truth Hurts” singer of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Hours after the dancers came forward with their allegations, filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison took to social media in support of the lawsuit, calling Lizzo “arrogant, self-centered and unkind.”

In a message shared to her Instagram Story and X/Twitter account, Allison, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker from Los Angeles, said that while she typically does not “comment on anything pop culture related,” she decided to come forward with her own experience “because validating other Black women’s experiences is deeply important to me.” Allison said that in 2019, she “traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary.” However, she “walked away after about 2 weeks” because she was “treated with such disrespect” by the singer.

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“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a s-y situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you f**king can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gas lit and was deeply hurt, but I’ve healed,” she continued. “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.”

The Love, Lizzo documentary was first announced in May 2022 and premiered on HBO Max, now just Max, in November 2022. Doug Pray, who previously produced the HBO documentary The Defiant Ones, directed the project. It is unclear if this is the project Allison was referring to or if she was attached as directed on a different documentary.

Allison’s claims are just the latest to be made after the three dancers – Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez – accused Lizzo of sexual harassment and “creating a hostile work environment,” among other allegations. In the wake of the lawsuit, several more of Lizzo’s former dancers have taken to social media to speak out in support of the three plaintiffs and also share their own experiences. Courtney Hollinquest, one of Lizzo’s dancers, shared a screenshot of a news article about the lawsuit on her Instagram Story, writing that while she is “not a part of the lawsuit…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 Whitney Wilson, shared a screenshot of Hollinquest’s statement to her own social media page, saying she was “echoing” everything said and adding, “I very much applause (sic) the dancers’ courage to bring this to light. And I grieve parts of my own experience.”

Along with Lizzo, the lawsuit also named the musician’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and her dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley. None of the parties named in the lawsuit have addressed the accusations.