Music star Grimes has expressed her support for Lizzo (Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Grimes has voiced her support for Lizzo following a bombshell lawsuit against the Grammy-winning star.
Lizzo – real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson – hit the headlines earlier this week when it was revealed that the singer and her production company are being sued by three former dancers over allegations of sexual harassment and the creation of a hostile work environment.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday (August 1), was brought against the Truth Hurts singer and Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc (BGBT), also highlighting alleged behaviour from Shirlene Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance team.
Dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez have claimed that they were subject to sexual, religious, and racial harassment, as well as disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment while working for the star.
Lizzo, 35, later released a statement of her own, responding to the filing but also the backlash from her fans, who were left stunned by the allegations given how she is known as a champion of inclusivity and body positivity.
She described the past week as ‘overwhelmingly disappointing’ and said the allegations against her were ‘outrageous’.
Three dancers have made a string of shocking allegations against the pop star and her touring company (Picture: Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)
Now, Grimes, also 35, has taken to social media to express her love for Lizzo amid the controversy.
The Canadian musician – real name Claire Elise Boucher – began on Twitter in a lengthy post: ‘I love Lizzo. Not saying I don’t believe ppl when bad things happen, but I had dancers mistreated on my watch in ways I didn’t find out about until way later. Mebe s**t is bad. But loyalty matters to me.’
She continued: ‘Lizzo was kind to me and others for a decade before she was “cool”, and she checked in on me when no one cared. I’ve only ever seen exemplary behaviour from her, especially when everyone was hating on me and she was on top of the world.’
‘There was no reason for her to check in, besides to be a good person.’
Grimes went on: ‘Just my two cents. I recall when she first blew up being so happy because I’d never known such an admirable person to find fame in the music industry.
Noelle Rodriguez is one of the performers making the claims of sexual, religious, and racial harassment (Picture: Instagram)
Crystal Williams is also named as one of the accusers (Picture: Instagram)
Dancer Arianna Davis is the third highlighting the alleged behaviour (Picture: Instagram)
‘I struggle to believe she would have so radically changed’.
She concluded by saying she’s ‘tired of a culture that seeks to destroy its greatest virtues.’
‘Lizzo is amazing’, Grimes signed off.
Her tweet received a mixed response, with one follower replying to argue: ‘Grimes it’s because you’re rich and wealthy and have influence, Lizzo is a classist abuser who doesn’t believe people “on her level” deserve respect’.
Hitting back, Grimes – who shares two children with Twitter (X) owner Elon Musk – penned: ‘Lizzo was nice to me before elon when she blew up and I was still indie as f**k. She was nice to me in like 2012 before anyone cared abt either of us. She checked in while I was cancelled af while I was pregnant when most people abandoned me because they didn’t want the association, she was kind when was only a liability to her.’
‘I respect that hardcore’, she added. ‘That’s a good person.’
Her post comes after a source said Lizzo was ‘blindsided’ by the lawsuit filed against her.
‘She’s been building and building her life and career, and getting achievement after achievement,’ an insider told People.
‘It blindsided her and her team and is a wake-up call that all of that can be instantly diminished by something like this, just overnight.’
Lizzo has made it clear that she denies the allegations, with Ronald Zambrano – the lawyer for her accusers – having claimed that Lizzo is very different in private from how she acts in public.
The Juice hitmaker branded the allegations ‘sensationalised’ and said while she is ‘hurt’, she refuses to ‘let the good work [she’s] done in the world be overshadowed by this.’
Since the initial story broke, more people have come forward with their own similar stories.
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‘Lizzo is amazing’, Grimes declared.