Grimes has come to the defense of Lizzo, who is facing a lawsuit from three dancers accusing her of sexual harassment and presiding over a hostile work environment.
The 35-year-old musician, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, took to social media on Sunday with a statement in support of Lizzo, who was named in a civil suit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez.
‘I love Lizzo. Not saying I don’t believe ppl when bad things happen, but I had dancers mistreated on my watch in ways I didn’t find out about until way later,’ said the Canadian songstress, who shares two children with tech billionaire Elon Musk, 52.
‘Lizzo was kind to me and others for a decade before she was “cool”, and she checked in on me when no one cared,’ the Welcome to the Opera artist said. ‘I’ve only ever seen exemplary behavior from her, especially when everyone was hating on me and she was on top of the world.
‘There was no reason for her to check in, besides to be a good person. Just my two cents. I recall when she first blew up being so happy because I’d never known such an admirable person to find fame in the music industry.’
Grimes said she struggled ‘to believe she would have so radically changed,’ and that she’s ‘tired of a culture that seeks to destroy its greatest virtues.’
Grimes also responded to people who pushed back on her statement saying that Lizzo treated her well because of her fame and status.
‘Grimes it’s because you’re rich and wealthy and have influence, Lizzo is a classist abuser who doesn’t believe people “on her level” deserve respect,’ one user said.
Grimes responded by saying that Lizzo had been kind to her when it didn’t stand to benefit her in any way.
‘Lizzo was nice to me before Elon when she blew up and I was still indie as f***,’ she said. ‘She was nice to me in like 2012 before anyone cared abt either of us.
‘She checked in while I was cancelled while I was pregnant when most people abandoned me because they didn’t want the association, she was kind when was only a liability to her. I respect that hardcore. That’s a good person.’
Another user gave examples of other scandal-plagued celebrities including convicted batterer Chris Brown and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein.
Said the user: ‘Chris Brown was nice to me, so he never hit Rihanna. I agree with Grimes. When someone is nice to you, they are nice to everyone. Like Tarantino said with Weinstein. “I never saw it happen in front of me.”‘
Grimes did not address the Weinstein remark, but said that Rihanna’s forgiveness of Chris Brown following his 2009 assaults on her is in alignment with beliefs she has stated for years.
‘Rihanna has supported Chris Brown in the aftermath cuz Rihanna seems to care about restorative justice,’ Grimes said. ‘
*Assuming* Lizzo is guilty (without a trial – which flies in the face of democracy) – it’s funny to me the same people who fight for restorative justice seem against it for someone who has been a figurehead for change and suffered greatly to fight for acceptance.’
In the lawsuit, Lizzo was accused of pressuring her dancers to physically engage with sex workers at a club in Amsterdam’s Red Light District this past February while on tour in the area.
In the civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the singer and her production company, the dancers claimed Lizzo pressured them to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed one of them for her weight gain before firing her.
The plaintiffs made numerous charges including sexual, religious, and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.
The legal complaint seeks unspecified damages and names Melissa Viviane Jefferson, known professionally as Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and Shirlene Quigley, captain of the performer’s dance team.
The court filing claims that after performing a concert in Amsterdam, Lizzo and her crew attended a sexually themed show at a club in the city’s notorious Red Light District where ‘Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers.’
During the show, Lizzo led a chant pressuring Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club, the filing states.
‘Finally, the chorus became overwhelming, and a mortified Ms. Davis acquiesced in an attempt to bring an end to the chants,’ the complaint states. ‘Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed.’
Lizzo, who routinely champions body positivity, is also accused of calling out Davis for her weight gain after accusing the dancer of not being committed to her role.
Davis was fired in May for recording a meeting during which Lizzo had given out notes to dancers about their performances, according to the complaint.
Quigley, who served as a judge on the singer’s reality show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, is accused in the lawsuit of pushing her Christian beliefs onto dancers.
The court filing claims Quigley referred to Davis as a ‘non-believer’ and told co-workers that ‘no job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.’
