Rhiannon Ingle
Lizzo has broken her silence on the sexual harassment allegations as she's now opened up on the backlash.
In August of last year, the 36-year-old rapper and her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc (BGBT), were sued by three former dancers over alleged sexual harassment and a 'hostile work environment'.
In the lawsuit, the dancers accused Lizzo - real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson - of calling attention to one dancer's weight gain and later firing that same dancer after she recorded a meeting because of a health condition.
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In response to the allegations, Lizzo described the time since the lawsuit had been filed as 'gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing'.
She went on to describe the allegations made against her in the lawsuit as 'false', adding: "These are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed."
"These sensationalised stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional," Lizzo continued.
"I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not."
BGBT is still a defendant in the ongoing case, but now Lizzo has been dropped from the case, she's able to speak about the allegations.
She has recently opened up about the allegations on an episode of Keke Palmer's podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer.
Speaking in the episode which aired on Thursday (19 December), Lizzo said she was totally 'blindsided' by the situation.
"I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit," the rapper explained.
Lizzo went on to tell Palmer: "I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit.
"I was very deeply hurt because these were three ex-dancers, so they weren't on the tour. They didn't, like, finish the tour out with us. But even regardless of that, these were people that I gave opportunities to."
She said that while she 'liked', 'appreciated' and 'respected' the three dancers, Lizzo said many of their claims were 'silly'.
"These were people that - I liked them and appreciated them as dancers, respected them as dancers. So I was like, what? But then I heard all the other things like sexual harassment, and I was like, they're trying well, I don't know what they're trying to do, but these are the types of things that the media can turn into something that it's not," the 'Truth Hurts' singer added.
Opening up about how the lawsuit impacted her, Lizzo shared: "I had to learn that a little bit of my innocence is gone, and a little bit of my free spirit is gone for sure, because that kind of mass betrayal is hard for any person to take."
Tearing up, she went on: "I worked so hard to get to this place in my life. I, like, f*cking slept out of my car and didn't know where I was going to get my next meal.
"I've been through so much pain and loss, and I just tried to work through that pain and loss and bring joy to the world. That's all I try to do."
"Let's be clear," Lizzo resolved. "I did nothing wrong."