Lizzo’s telling '60 Minutes' interview days before harassment claims: ‘Rough day’

Pop superstar Lizzo has revealed she thinks that people “get good” from her having a difficult time - days before a lawsuit alleging harassment was brought against her.

She appeared on 60 Minutes Australia over the weekend in an interview filmed during her tour of the country. The allegations from her backup dancers came days after her final show in Auckland on July 27.

Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, told Nine’s Tom Steinfort that she was having a “rough day”.

“And I still feel like, for some odd reason, even if I’m having a bad day or if I’m going through something, people still get good from it,” she said.

At the time the interview was filmed, no one had any idea of the claims that were about to be made public.

Three of the star’s former dancers, who were part of her production company Big Grrrls Big Tour, have taken legal action against Lizzo, her dance captain Shirlene Quigley and her company.

Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez allege several instances of misconduct between 2021 and 2023, claiming the pop star subjected them to body shaming, hostile working conditions and sexual harassment.

The claims of fat shaming have left Lizzo’s fans in shock, since she has built a brand around her identity as a “fat, black woman”, and spreads the message of self-love and body positivity with her music.

During the 60 Minutes interview, she said: “I think, you know, when first started saying I love myself, it was radical, and it was necessary because people didn’t believe it.

“People were like, ‘but why would you love yourself, you’re fat?’ And it’s like, yeah, that’s the point, like, fat people can love themselves.”

The three dancers also allege that the pop star coerced them into interacting with sex workers in a nightclub in Amsterdam in February.

Lizzo released a statement on Instagram last week, calling the days since the lawsuit appeared “gut-wrenching”.

“My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticised. Usually I chose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” she wrote.

“The sensationalised stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”

The dancers told Channel 4 News that they found Lizzo’s denial “disheartening” and have branded her calls for female empowerment and body positivity as “performative”.

“Initially for me it just further deepened my disappointment in regards to how I was feeling and how I was treated,” Williams said.

“I think the overall theme in all this is that our experiences were our experiences and our traumas were our traumas. In bringing that forward, it feels like it was disregarded completely.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.