Beyoncé has seemingly expressed her solidarity with singer Lizzo as she gave the lawsuit-hit artist a shoutout during her latest performance.
“I love you Lizzo!” echoed from the stage as the multiple Grammy-winning Single Ladies singer performed as part of her Renaissance World Tour in Atlanta, Georgia.
Beyoncé’s public display of support comes after she seemed to skip a reference to Lizzo in a live performance of the same song – Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) – earlier this month.
The track celebrates black women in entertainment, and lists the likes of Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill.
The shoutout follows three of Lizzo’s former dancers filing a civil lawsuit against her and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc (BGBT).
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Lizzo dancer: ‘I was terrified for my job’
She was accused of pressuring one dancer to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam strip club, and allegedly made comments about one performer putting on weight before firing her.
Claims from the dancers also include religious harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment – all of which the 35-year-old star denies.
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Lizzo, who is famed for championing body positivity, has insisted she is “not the villain” following the accusations in an Instagram statement.
It also said the allegations were “as unbelievable as they sound” and were “too outrageous to not be addressed”.
She was then further accused by two of the dancers of “gaslighting” and “victim blaming” them by denying their allegations.
Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez both spoke to Sky News, saying they had proof their claims were true adding: “Everything [had] been documented over time.”
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Lizzo accused of ‘gaslighting’
Since their interview, additional complaints are being investigated by lawyers representing her accusers.
Speaking to NBC News, Ron Zambrano said his firm was looking at fresh allegations from six people who say they toured with Lizzo, as well as others who worked on her TV show, Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls.
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Mr Zambrano said the allegations are of a “sexually charged environment”, and failure to pay staff, adding some of the claims are potentially actionable.
Since her statement defending herself, Lizzo has not posted on any social media sites.
