Joe Rogan Weighs In on Lizzo Allegations

Joe Rogan has shared his thoughts on Lizzo after several of the singer's backup dancers filed a lawsuit against her.

During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcast host discussed the topic with comedian Tim Dillon.

Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez sued Lizzo—whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson—earlier this month, accusing her of sexual harassment, racial harassment and creating a hostile work environment. They also claimed they were body-shamed.

The suit names dance captain Shirlene Quigley as well, who plaintiffs accused of pushing her Christian beliefs on other dancers and making sexually inappropriate comments, among other things.

"Supposedly, Lizzo was just abusing her power. This is what they're all saying. But I don't know if I buy that," Dillon said. "I think it's bitter people, maybe, that are angry. Because they all look like Lizzo. This is what's gonna drive them nuts. They look exactly like her and she's worth $40 million and they're probably getting paid s***."

Davis and Williams began performing with Lizzo after competing on her Emmy-nominated Amazon series Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls in 2021. At the time, Davis said going on tour with the star was "surreal" and "exciting." Both dancers were later fired.

According to NBC News, Rodriguez complained to the manager about the decision to publicly fire Williams—a move that Lizzo "repeatedly" raised with the dancers during an April 27 meeting when she said she had "eyes and ears everywhere," according to the lawsuit.

Davis recorded the meeting because she suffered from an eye condition that sometimes left her disoriented. Days later, Lizzo had security employees confiscate dancers' phones.

An article about the lawsuit was pulled up during Rogan and Dillon's conversation and part of it was read out loud. According to the lawsuit, Lizzo "became furious, hurling expletives at the group and stated that she was going to go around the room, person by person until someone told Lizzo who made the recording."

In response, Rogan laughed, "God, I hope she refers to herself in the third person. I hope that's how she says it, that's amazing."

"When you're a big girl and you're not exercising, then all of a sudden someone hires you for a dance show because they want big girls, and then you have to do that kind of s*** every day, your body's not prepared for that," Rogan said. "Your joints are weak. You could get really f***** up. It's like asking someone to go into like some crazy cardiovascular workout."

Rogan added that "the show itself seems like it would be a health risk" to "force people to work out."

Dillon said Lizzo "brought all these women on tour probably to abuse them," to which Rogan replied, "I don't think they thought it through."

The UFC commentator added, "Not to body-shame anybody, but there's been a weird shift in just the way society looks at these things. It used to be women that were representing clothes and things had ideal shapes. Like, that's what they used for advertising. And then something changed."

Newsweek has contacted Lizzo's management team for comment and reaction.

Two days after the lawsuit was filed, Lizzo posted a lengthy statement via social media claiming she was "not the villain."

"My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized," she wrote on August 3. "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

Quigley, for her part, also denied any wrongdoing. "It is with a heavy heart that I address the recent allegations that have surfaced over the past few days," she said in a statement posted to Instagram. "I want to categorically state that these accusations are not only baseless but also profoundly hurtful."

Following Lizzo's statement, Los Angeles attorney Ron Zambrano—who is representing Davis, Williams and Rodriguez—told Newsweek that "Lizzo has failed her own brand and has let down her fans."

He added, "Her denial of this reprehensible behavior only adds to our clients' emotional distress."

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