Lizzo sued by tour stylist over ‘racist and fatphobic’ remarks in new lawsuit
Lizzo is facing yet another bombshell lawsuit by one of her former employees over toxic workplace conditions.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles and obtained by The Post, Asha Daniels claims she was hired to join the wardrobe department for Lizzo’s 2023 tour by a member of the singer’s team, Amanda Nomura.
“Asha’s case is important because she not only corroborates the other Lizzo plaintiffs, but she too was victimized by the management team’s harassment and discrimination,” Daniels’ attorney Neama Rahmani exclusively told The Post.
“Instead of accepting responsibility and fixing the problems, Lizzo and her spokespeople have shamed the victims and called them liars,” she continued. “We look forward to exposing Lizzo and her hypocrisy in a court of law.”
Daniels, who is black, claims in court docs that Nomura would mock both Lizzo, 35, and backup dancers on multiple occasions by doing an “offensive stereotypical impression of a black woman.”
Nomura also allegedly called black women on the tour as “dumb,” “useless,” and “fat,” the lawsuit claims.
In one incident, Daniels claimed in the suit that Nomura ran her foot over with a heavy rack of clothes, and pushed her into it when Daniels informed her that she was in pain. She wore Crocs to work the day after the incident to help with her ankle pain, but Nomura allegedly “forced” her to change into tennis shoes.
She also claimed in the court docs that Nomura instructed her to “tone it down” if she were to ever interact with Lizzo, and to not dress “attractively” in front of the flute-playing pop star because she would get upset if her boyfriend was around other women.
Additionally, Daniels claimed in the suit that the job came with less than fabulous hours, alleging to have sometimes worked from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. and not allowed to take breaks.
According to Daniels, Lizzo’s management was “well aware” of Nomura’s alleged conduct.
Tour manager Carlina Gugliotta allegedly advised Daniels to film Nomura without her knowledge, but Daniels feared that could be unethical or unlawful, according to the court docs.
Daniels alleges in the suit that she experienced sexual harassment from Lizzo’s team too, with a photo “graphically depicting male genitalia” being sent in employee and tour management group chat at one point.
Daniels also allegedly “witnessed Nomura, crew and Lizzo’s management openly discussing hiring sex workers for lewd sex acts, attending sex shows and buying hard drugs” when the tour members got to Amsterdam, court docs say.
Daniels noted she “felt pressured to join such activities and found a way to secure one of her few days off to escape.”
Lizzo’s spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, has denied all of the allegations.
“As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honor by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo,” he said in a statement to Page Six.
“We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None,” Friedman added.
Last month, Lizzo was sued by three former dancers for allegedly creating a hostile work environment by supposedly subjecting dancers to body-shaming and sexually denigrating behavior against their will.
Lizzo reacted to the allegations via social media, calling them “unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
“I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo wrote on Aug. 3. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
She concluded: “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
Days later, six more dancers came forward with similar accusations against the “Good as Hell” singer.
