Lizzo has been making headlines over the past few weeks about the alleged treatment of her dancers. Now, it appears it’s not the first time a situation has come up between them.
In 2022, Lizzo’s documentary, Love Lizzo, premiered on HBO Max. During one of the scenes, a group of dancers assist Lizzo in rehearsals for the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards and open up about their experiences in the field. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, the dancers later claimed that the footage appeared in the film without their consent or knowledge. Because of this, they also weren’t paid, and Lizzo was a producer on the project.
The publication notes that the dancers’ manager, Slay Smiles, sent an email to the Boardwalk Pictures’ attorney, Alan Brunswick, on January 17.
“After seeing all of the videos, I’m sure you realize how sensitive and private the dialogue was for the talent involved,” Smiles reportedly wrote. “This was supposed to be a safe space to express and share with the Principal talent [Lizzo], so by sharing this unauthorized footage to the public without their approval/permissions, has truly exploited these women and violated the emotional safety they had in those moments.”
The situation escalated when one of the dancers hired an attorney about the matter. Because of this, “Boardwalk Pictures, a Lizzo entity and other parties” signed a confidential settlement where the dancers were then paid and released their rights to appear in the documentary.
Lizzo’s lawyer, Martin Singer, also added that the issue was resolved by the production company and that she “had nothing to do with it and knew nothing about it.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.