LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lizzo recently found herself in the middle of a major controversy after three of the singer's former dancers accused her of sexual harassment, weight-shaming and creating a hostile work environment. In the wake of the allegations, Lizzo's past comments about South Korean boy band BTS resurfaced online and sparked more backlash against the singer.
In an old clip, shared on Twitter by user @/CattBgt, Lizzo could be heard talking about collaborating with BTS before making a controversial statement about the members as a joke. "If I could colaborate with BTS.. I mean, that sounds fun..," the rapper stated, before adding, "I don't know if I can make it through the studio session.. without having sex with all of them." The resurfaced remark left several people disturbed and many took to social media to call out the Grammy winner.
'This video of Lizzo was a massive red flag'
As Lizzo's past comments about BTS made the rounds online, several social media users took to Twitter to call out the singer. "This video of Lizzo was a massive red flag and her fans just thought she was funny ??????????" one user wrote. "She has always been a weirdo," one commented. "Hold up this is mad weird," added another. "Yeah when i heard about the lawsuit i immediately thought back to this incident," a fourth user tweeted.
One user said, "I was thinking about this literally a few minutes ago, I never forgot it and have had a bad feeling about her ever since, but what she did is just too much" while another wrote, "It's disgusting. Feminism is about doing better, and not equally as abusive as men are who say things like this. This is an abusive, sexist comment and not funny in the slightest."
"I never liked her especially after knowing about this," one shared. "My biggest issue with her wording is it assumes it would happen irregardless of their wishes. It really objectifies them, and dehumanizes them," another added. "what the hell that's so weird and creepy," another user remarked. One said, "Th fact that they actually liked her and welcomed her when she met them here and there" while another added, "I hope bts are aware of her true personality now and never interact again."
Lizzo and BTS met at Harry Styles' concert
Prior to the resurfaced controversy and the recent allegations against Lizzo, the singer has long been vocal about her fondness for the BTS. The 'Juice' singer also met BTS members V, Jimin, J-Hope and Jungkook when they attended a Harry Styles concert in Los Angeles, California back in 2021. Both artists also shared their selfies and photos from the event on their respective Twitter accounts.
During an appearance on Audacy's podcast in April 2022, Lizzo said she always "gravitated" towards BTS and would love to collaborate with the group, who are now considered one of the biggest boy bands across the globe. "Good people, like really good energy," she said about the band at the time. "I think that’s always why I’ve gravitated towards BTS because they remind me of myself where it’s like, self-love and this positive energy and the way they love their fans."
Lizzo also shared that she struck up a friendship with J-Hope and said that he is a "great texter" who "does not leave you on read." "I got J-Hope’s number, so we be texting. He’s a great texter, expressive. He does not leave you on read. If it’s been awhile since he’s texted, he’s like 'I’m so sorry,' and he apologises for how long it’s taken," the rapper said at the time. She even ended the podcast, saying, "Love you ARMY," in reference to BTS' fandom name.
Brief recap of the allegations against Lizzo
On Tuesday, August 1, Lizzo's former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against the rapper, her dance captain Shirlene Quigley and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring (BGBT) in Los Angeles. The dancers accused the defendants of alleged sexual, religious and racial harassment as well as discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, as per BBC News.
The suit alleged that Lizzo "pressured Ms Davis to touch the breasts" of a performer in a nightclub in Amsterdam and the dancer had to give in after resistance "fearing it may harm her future on the team." Despite being a body positivity advocate, the 'Rumor' singer and her dance choreographer Tanisha Scott is also accused of fat-shaming Davis while on tour.
Davis alleged that Lizzo and Scott allegedly questioned whether she was "struggling with something as she seemed less committed to her role on the dance cast." The lawsuit further mentioned that BGBT staff allegedly scolded dancers for "unacceptable and disrespectful" behaviour during the tour, without specifying about their behaviour. The dancers claimed that "only the dance cast - comprised of full-figured women of colour - were ever spoken to in this manner, giving [the dancers] the impression that these comments were charged with racial and fat-phobic animus."
They also accused Captain Quigley of pushing her religious beliefs on performers and mocking people who engaged in premarital sex. Some of the allegations against BGBT's management team also included accusations of racial discrimination. The suit alleged that the African-American members of the dance troupe were allegedly "treated differently" from other members. These members were also allegedly accused of being "lazy, unprofessional, and having bad attitudes" in order "to disparage and discourage" African-American women.
The accusers also alleged that Lizzo and her production company did not pay them fairly while during the pop star's European tour. The dancers claimed that they were only offered 25% of their weekly pay as a retainer during the time they were not performing on the tour. They also alleged that Lizzo and the company preferred them to refrain from taking other jobs during breaks. Lizzo is yet to address the allegations publicly, at the time of writing.