Update Aug. 1 11:19pm CT: At the time of publishing, the featured image on this article was of a different Arianna Davis to the individual discussed herein. The unrelated image has been removed from our media library and replaced. We regret the error.
On Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, three of Lizzo‘s former dancers filed a lawsuit against the singer accusing her of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
The law firm representing dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. The defendants named in the suit, which was sent to We Got This Covered by the plaintiffs’ law firm, are Lizzo — whose given name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson — her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and the dance captain, Shirlene Quigley.
One of the plaintiffs is Arianna Davis, a dancer who competed in Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. The reality TV show, which followed 13 contestants as they sought to become the singer’s backup dancers, premiered in 2022 on Amazon Prime Video, and was recently renewed for a second season.
Davis is from Indianapolis, Indiana, and she’s trained in dance since the age of 2, her bio shared by Decider states. The styles she’s technically trained in include ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and modern, it adds.
According to the publication, Davis lost her grandmother to the COVID-19 pandemic and began focusing even more on dance as an outlet for her emotions. The young dancer from Indiana worked several jobs in the service industry but decided to join the show in the hopes of making dancing her career. Davis’ Instagram bio states that she’s a dancer, singer, and actress. She recently joined the dance studio Soho Dance LA as an instructor for jazz and hip hop, the studio announced on social media.
Davis is also an entrepreneur who runs Thrifts by Ari, where she “curate[s] Custom Thrifted Style Bundles for people with all types of aesthetics,” according to her business Instagram page.
Arianna Davis’ mother said her daughter’s journey to get on Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls was a whirlwind
Davis’ mother Lorie Davis said her daughter “always wanted to move” in an interview with the Indianapolis Star. She said they decided to put her in dance classes when she joined in on the freestyle dance circle in her older sister’s dance class. “When she was 3, she told us she was going to be a star,” her mother added.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis was living in New York City and attending the Institute for American Musical Theater. She returned to Indianapolis and described that time as a “really dark period” involving health issues and losing loved ones. “I thought my career was over,” she told the publication of that time period. “I thought it was officially just, Arianna, pack up your bags and get another career because you’re done-zo.”
Davis poured herself into dance to channel her emotions and said it was the best thing to do “when you don’t have words to express yourself… When I have no words, I just dance.” She added, “Without dance, I don’t think I would be here today. Genuinely, it really, really, really saved my life.”
While in quarantine during the pandemic, Davis made TikTok videos and posted one on the platform as her application in response to Lizzo’s TikTok callout for bigger dancers. She was then asked for a second dance video and the clip, to Lizzo’s song “Cuz I Love You,” went viral. Her mother said everything afterward was a whirlwind.
“The next thing we know, they were calling her and emailing her and asking her to send them more videos, and then they started asking for pictures and then she ended up out in LA and it just kind of all went from there,” she shared. “It’s just really amazing.”
Davis’ mother said she was proud of seeing her daughter on the show, noting that the Indiana native showed maturity and strength of character in dealing with her own struggles and while supporting her fellow dancers. “Her caring for people, being vulnerable and sharing things about herself that I didn’t think she would ever share with anyone,” Lorie Davis shared.
What did Arianna Davis allege in the lawsuit filed against Lizzo?
Davis and the two other dancers named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Williams and Rodriguez, alleged sexual, religious, and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, and more, the plaintiffs argued in a lawsuit shared by their law firm with We Got This Covered.
The lawsuit claims that the contestants in Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls were told they had to participate in a nude photoshoot, which was extremely distressing for Davis. “Davis broke down in tears on set while struggling to choose between a once in a lifetime career opportunity and putting her body on display against her will,” the lawsuit argues. “This experience foreshadowed the sexually charged and uncomfortable environment Lizzo’s employees would be forced to endure.”
Among other claims, the lawsuit alleged that there was a hostile environment on tour, and referenced a specific incident involving Davis and Lizzo in Amsterdam’s Red Light District after a show in February 2023. The singer and her dancers attended a club where customers were allowed to have contact with nude performers, and the plaintiffs argued that they felt obligated to attend in order to keep their jobs.
The lawsuit argued that Lizzo began encouraging her dancers to touch the nude performers and then focused specifically on Davis. Lizzo “began pressuring Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club,” the lawsuit stated. “Lizzo began leading a chant goading Davis. Davis said three times, loud enough for all to hear, ‘I’m good,’ expressing her desire not to touch the performer.” After the chanting continued, the lawsuit argued that “a mortified Davis acquiesced in an attempt to bring an end to the chants.”
Later in the lawsuit, Davis argued that in April 2023, the dance cast was told they had to re-audition for their spots and Lizzo said she would be firing anyone who had an unsatisfactory performance that day. The plaintiffs claimed that the dancers were told they weren’t allowed a break during the near-twelve-hour rehearsal. Davis explained that she needed to use the restroom but was afraid that if she excused herself she’d be fired.
She continued dancing as long as possible, the lawsuit alleges, “until she eventually lost control of her bladder.” As she was still concerned about exiting the stage, she remained present and danced in her soiled clothes until she was allowed a short break during a segment of the run-through that didn’t involve dancers. “Davis was utterly embarrassed and hurried backstage to change into clean clothes.” the lawsuit continues. “Unfortunately, the only clothing available to [her] was a see-through garment provided by the Wardrobe Department, making her feel exposed and even more embarrassed.”
Davis had to finish the rehearsal in transparent shorts, she claimed, which involved dancing in front of “male crew members who were known to sexualize the dancers under less revealing scenarios.”
Davis was fired by Lizzo in early May 2023, she claimed in the lawsuit, after the singer learned that she had recorded a meeting in late April 2023. Davis said she’d only recorded it to be able to review Lizzo’s notes to her dancers after the meeting, and deleted the recording the day afterward. However, the lawsuit claimed that Lizzo was unsatisfied with her response and fired her on the spot. Despite that, Davis alleges she was forced to stay in the meeting room by a member of Lizzo’s security team.
“Davis was told she was not allowed to leave until her phone had been searched,” she claimed, despite her explanation that she’d already deleted the recording. “Davis was scared and wanted nothing more than to leave the area and therefore assented to her phone being searched.” Lizzo has yet to publicly respond to her three former dancers’ allegations.
A few hours after the news of the lawsuit broke, Davis posted on her Instagram Stories, “In light of everything that’s going on please remember that this is not an excuse to be fat phobic, racist, or just plain mean. No matter what happened please be kind to all parties involved. Thank you.”