‘I felt gas lit’: Former director of Lizzo documentary calls out singer following dancers’ lawsuit

Lizzo is having quite the month. Her song “Pink” is basically the theme song for the smash hit movie Barbie — which is really good — but she’s also dealing with a lawsuit from former dancers alleging inappropriate comments and a hostile work environment. Now the former director of her documentary is also calling out the singer.

Sophia Nahli Allison, who “traveled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary” but “walked away after two weeks,” said the singer treated her very poorly.

“I was treated with such disrespect by her. I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is,” Allison said on social media.

“I was not protected and was thrown into a shitty situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you [expletive] can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut. I felt gaslit and was deeply hurt, but I’ve healed.”

The dancers’ lawsuit, she said, “made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was.” She called Lizzo’s actions an “abuse of power” that “happens far too often.”

The post caught a lot of attention, and Allison wrote a follow-up to clarify what’s been going on since she wrote it.

“Since I’ve spoken out, I’ve had others privately share their very similar experiences, and I have also been affirmed by people who witnessed what I went through.”

It does not get better: “Lizzo creates an extremely toxic and hostile working environment and undermines the work, labor, and authority of other black and brown [women] in the process. (Notice how the documentary ended up being directed by a cis white man.)”

Honestly, that would be enough on its own. But there’s more! She calls Lizzo a “narcissistic bully” who “built her brand off of lies.” She said she was excited to work on the project at first but “quickly learned her image and message was a curated facade.”

Woof. Not a good sign when things start piling up like this. It’s getting harder and harder for Lizzo’s team to just say these are people looking for a payday.

Lizzo has yet to respond to the allegations, but she’s going to have to say something soon because this story keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s never a good sign when the NY Times picks up a story. We’ll keep you posted.