Lawyer for dancers suing Lizzo calls quitting announcement 'a joke'
Following the announcement that Lizzo is apparently quitting the music industry because of online bullying, those suing her have labelled the Grammy Award-winning singer’s public mid drop as “a joke.”
Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has been accused and sued for sexual harassment, racial discrimination and fostering a hostile work environment by her dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. The lawyer for these dancers, Ron Zambrano, has responded to her recent announcement, calling it a “joke”.
Zambrano told Entertainment Weekly: “It’s a joke that Lizzo would say she is being bullied by the internet when she should instead be taking an honest look at herself.”
“Her latest post is just another outburst seeking attention and trying to deflect from her own failings as she continues to blame everyone else for the predicament she is in,” he continued. “Lizzo’s legal and public relations strategy is a failure, so she is desperately trying to play the victim.”
Zambrano also alleged that the popstar had “thrown these childish tantrums before,” finally claiming that “no one actually believes she is quitting music.”
Indeed, this isn’t the first time that Lizzo has threatened to quit the industry. In 2023, she made her Twitter account private on several occasions after waves of body-shaming comments.
The singer’s apparent retirement announcement also came in stark contrast to another recent Instagram post from 17 March, in which she talked about writing new music and thanked her fans for their patience.
“I’m writing some of the best music and I’m so excited for y’all to hear. I’m almost ready to be a normal human again … to be outside … to love and trust people … to try and make new friends … to sing and talk about my pain and joy,” Lizzo’s caption read.
“Just give me a lil more time. Thank u for the patience, and to the ones who unfollowed, thank u too, cus now I know where we stand.”
In response to Zambrano’s statement, a representative for
Lizzo, Stefan Friedman, told Entertainment Weekly: “With nearly half his case dismissed, 18 independent witnesses siding with Lizzo and no settlement on the way to get him his tasty contingency fee, Ron has started making wild personal attacks that have absolutely nothing to do with the clients who he is supposedly representing. We would humbly recommend that Ron start representing his clients and stop representing just himself.”
The singer's “I QUIT” message comes after her request to dismiss her upcoming sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit was denied by a judge in February.
Since the first lawsuit, lawyers have reviewed more complaints from other backup dancers, and Lizzo was also named in a new lawsuit from a former hairstylist in September, which she further moved to dismiss.
Lizzo’s first lawsuit has now been ruled to go ahead in its entirety towards a trial.
It remains unclear whether her reputation can recover - especially since the mounting accusations and fat-shaming allegations clash with the singer’s tailored brand of “self-love” empowerment and years of body positivity advocacy.