A former documentary director for pop star and Joe Biden campaigner Lizzo says she “walked away” after two weeks because of the singer. “I was treated with such disrespect by her — I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is,” filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison said.
“In 2019, I traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary. I walked away after about 2 weeks. I was treated with such disrespect by her,” Allison said in a social media post following revelations that Lizzo is being sued by her former tour dancers for sexual, religious, and racial harassment.
Sharing this because validating other Black women’s experiences is deeply important to me. pic.twitter.com/gd2xEK6szq
— Sophia Nahli Allison (@SophiaNAllison) August 1, 2023
“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is,” the Oscar-nominated filmmaker, who exited production of Lizzo’s documentary, Love, Lizzo, continued.
“I was not protected and was thrown into a shitty situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you fucking can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gaslit and was deeply hurt, but I’ve healed,” Allison added.
The filmmaker went on to say that “reading these reports made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was,” adding, “this kind of abuse of power happens far too often.”
Another user, Charlene Sanchez, reposted Allison’s statement to her Instagram Stories, writing, “I was part of this documentary with [Allison]!”
“This is all true. I had to vent to so many of my friends about it. It was such a small crew and the experience of working with Lizzo was a nightmare,” Sanchez added in her post, which was re-shared by Allison to her Instagram Stories.
As Breitbart News reported, Lizzo is being sued by three of her former tour dancers, who accuse the singer, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and her dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley, of fostering a toxic workplace environment that involved sexual and religious harassment, as well as body shaming.
In the lawsuit, three former tour dancers accuse the “Truth Hurts” singer of pressuring them to take turns touching nude performers during a live sex show in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, catch dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eat bananas protruding from their vaginas. Ironically, the complaint also accuses the singer of calling attention to a tour dancer’s weight gain.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.