In a display of solidarity, Beyoncé extended her support to Lizzo, who finds herself entangled in a lawsuit controversy concerning former backup dancers. The gesture occurred during the Atlanta segment of Beyoncé’s ongoing Renaissance world tour.
As captured in multiple videos shared on social media following Monday’s concert, Beyoncé, while performing her collaboration with Madonna, “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” spontaneously acknowledged Lizzo in the midst of the performance.
With her unique ad-lib touch, Beyoncé proclaimed, “I love you, Lizzo,” following the mention of the “About Damn Time” artist’s name as it originally appears in the song’s lyrics. These lyrics pay homage to influential Black women within the realm of music history.
The previous day had witnessed a lawsuit filed by Lizzo’s former dancers against the “Truth Hurts” singer and her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley. Allegations encompassed claims of sexual and religious harassment, along with accusations of fostering a toxic work environment. During a rendition of the “Break My Soul” remix in Massachusetts, Beyoncé omitted both Lizzo’s and Kelly Rowland’s names. Instead, she repeated Erykah Badu’s last name, seemingly acknowledging Badu’s recent Instagram comment regarding inspiring Beyoncé’s choice of hat.
Beyoncé resumed addressing Lizzo by name as the Renaissance tour resumed, several days later, just outside Washington, D.C.
At the time of this rewriting, Beyoncé’s representatives had not responded to EW’s request for comment.
Following the lawsuit, Quigley uploaded an Instagram video where she conveyed a message to her followers, saying, “God loves you.” Meanwhile, Lizzo issued a statement refuting the allegations put forth by the dancers.
Lizzo, in her statement, acknowledged the difficulties she had experienced in the past few days. She highlighted that her work ethic, morals, and respectfulness had been questioned, and her character criticized. While she generally refrained from responding to false accusations, the severity of these claims prompted her to address them. The artist emphasized that the sensationalized stories were being propagated by former employees who had already confessed that their behavior during the tour was deemed inappropriate and unprofessional.
In the wake of the lawsuit’s repercussions, Lizzo’s co-headlining performance with SZA was removed from Jay-Z’s Made in America festival. Additionally, filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, an Oscar nominee, disclosed that she had departed from the production of the Max documentary titled “Love, Lizzo.” Allison cited a lack of respect from Lizzo as the reason for her decision.
It’s worth noting that Lizzo has been an admirer of Beyoncé for quite some time. This admiration was evident at the 2023 Grammys, where she dedicated a portion of her acceptance speech to the Destiny’s Child superstar. Tearfully, Lizzo recalled her fifth-grade experience of skipping school to watch Beyoncé perform and shared her gratitude for being inspired to create music that evoked similar emotions in others.
Lizzo had previously shared a video of her attending the Renaissance tour in June. The clip depicted her becoming emotional as Beyoncé sang her name during “The Queens Remix.”
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