'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lizzo and her dance team's captain Shirlene Quigley have recently been in hot waters after some of her staff filed a lawsuit against her, Quigley, and the Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. production team. In the lawsuit, Shirlene is accused of obsessively preaching Christianity to the plaintiffs, according to Jezebel. Three former dancers, namely Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez filed the lawsuit on Tuesday morning, August 1, 2023.
Variety reports that the plaintiff's lawyer Ron Zambrano noted:
"The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing."
Disclaimer: This article deals with mature themes that may not be appropriate for readers of all ages. Discretion is advised.
Allegations of proselytizing against Lizzo's dance team captain Shirlene Quigley
Shirlene Quigley has been working as Lizzo's dance captain for her tour performances since 2019. She also doubled as a judge for the About Damn Time singer's Amazon reality show, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
Quigley started her career as a backup dancer in Beyonce's original music video, Crazy in Love. She has a long list of celebrities whom she has worked with, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Missy Elliot, Destiny's Child, Chris Brown, and others.
The lawsuit filed by the three former backup dancers includes an incident with Shirlene Quigley. According to Jezebel, the dancer was outspoken about her own s*x life and always nudged others to express their own. In one "party trick," she also reportedly demonstrated oral s*x to the other performers with a banana.
Shirlene is also accused of proselytizing by two of the plaintiffs, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez.
For the uninitiated, proselytizing means attempting to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another. According to Jezebel, Noelle said Shirlene "made it her mission" to preach Christianity to her.
Rodriguez even tried complaining about the matter to the management of the production company, but no changes were made. Noelle quit out of solidarity with her two colleagues, Davis and Williams, who were allegedly unjustly fired by the management. When she asked the reason for the dismissal of her friends, she was told:
"We’ve never had any problems with you.”
Another complaint about Shirlene Quigley was made by Arianna Davis, who was let go on May 3, 2023, after the Fitness rapper found out that the dancer had taken voice recordings of the performance notes they were given. This came only two weeks after she was questioned by the singer and her team about her "commitment to her job," which is mentioned in the lawsuit as:
"Thinly veiled concerns about Ms. Davis’s weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to after noticing it at the South by Southwest music festival."
According to Variety, when Quigley found out that Davis was a virgin, she disclosed that intimate secret in many interviews and posted about it on her social media as well. She also allegedly wanted to push Arianna Davis towards Christianity, as she thought Davis was a "non-believer." Quigley had been quoted in the past saying:
"No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord."
S*xual harassment complaints against Lizzo
Lizzo has always been an advocate of self-love and body positivity. However, the details of the current lawsuits have left fans stunned. She has been accused of pressuring dancers to participate in s*xual activities.
One of the instances mentioned in the lawsuit includes from a club called Bananenbar in Amsterdam, where "Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the n*de performers" and catch s*x toys as well as bananas from their private areas.
The Grrrls singer and Shirlene Quigley have not reached out to any media outlets with a statement for the alleged complaints against them.
