LIZZO’s former back-up dancer Crystal Williams has joined a lawsuit against the singer.
Here’s everything you need to know about Crystal Williams and the allegations she has made against Lizzo.
1
Who is Crystal Williams?
Crystal Williams, 26, from Texas, is a former dancer for Lizzo.
She began performing with the singer in 2021 after competing on her Amazon reality show “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”.
Williams won an Emmy for her appearance on the show in 2022.
The dancer graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2020 after studying Mass Communication.
How long did Crystal Williams work for Lizzo?
Crystal Williams worked as a dancer for Lizzo from 2021 until April 26 2023.
She said: “It’s really fun to travel to different places in other parts of the world because I was only restricted to seeing Texas.
“Now I’m travelling more than I ever have and making more money than I ever have.
“I’m just happy to experience this because I didn’t know that this was a thing for anybody like me, so it’s definitely a blessing.”
What has Crystal Williams accused Lizzo of?
The suit against Lizzo claims that Williams lost her job on April 26 2023 – days after she challenged the singer’s assertion that the dancers were drinking before performances.
Read Related Also: Orange Is the New Black’s Taryn Manning sparks concern with bizarre social media rants as she turns off comments
Lizzo allegedly replied: “Well if you’re not, then good for y’all.”
Williams was allegedly fired in a hotel lobby – with a manager blaming budget cuts despite no one else being laid off.
Three dancers including Williams have filed a lawsuit accusing Lizzo of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
They also said that she pressured one of them into touching a nude performer at a club in Amsterdam.
The lawsuit also claims that Lizzo made the dancers carry out an “excruciating” 12-hour audition after falsely accusing them of drinking on the job.
Lizzo is also alleged to have pointed out a dancer’s weight gain – before firing her when she recorded a meeting because of a health condition.
The dancers’ law firm gave the suit to NBC News after filing it in Los Angeles Superior Court.
It also claims that Lizzo’s dance captain Shirlene Quigley shared “lewd fantasies”, simulated oral sex, and publicly discussed the virginity of one of the dancers.
The suit also brings claims for religious and racial harassment, false imprisonment, and interference with prospective economic disadvantage.
What has Lizzo said?
Lizzo and Shirlene Quigley did not respond to requests for comment from the press.
The dancers’ lawyer Ron Zambrano told NBC: “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly.
“Privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing.”
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘752905198150451’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
