Warning: This post contains discussion of sexual harassment.
Beyoncé may have just reacted subtly to the recent allegations against Lizzo and her crew.
The plaintiffs – Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noel Rodriguez – alleged in the lawsuit that the 35-year-old singer scolded the dancer for her weight gain and then fired them after she discovered they had recorded the meeting due to medical conditions.
They also claimed that Lizzo once forced her dancers to take part in a sex show during a trip to Amsterdam, apparently “inviting the actors to take turns touching naked female performers, catching dildos launched from female performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from vagina.” artists’ vaginas.
In addition to this, NBC News reports that the lawsuit includes allegations relating to “religious and racial persecution, unjustified imprisonment” and “interference with alleged economic gain.” However, it should be noted that Lizzo is not the only figure in the lawsuit, and not all of the claims were brought against each of the defendants.
Dancers’ lawyer Ron Zambrano said in a statement that Lizzo and her management team’s alleged treatment of their performers “appears to go against everything Lizzo publicly stands for.”
And as reactions to the lawsuit spread online, fans noticed on Tuesday night that Beyoncé had apparently omitted Lizzo from the list of past and present music icons she names in her song “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” which she performs regularly. her Renaissance tour.
In the original lyrics, Beyoncé names Lizzo along with other music industry stars, singing “Betty Davis/Solange Knowles/Badu/Lizzo/Kelly Rawle”.
However, video Beyoncé’s last performance of the song in Boston last night indicates that she has made the decision not to praise Lizzo, instead repeating Erica Badu’s name four times.
Video footage shots from other angles show Lizzo’s name still appearing on the graphic playing back on the screen offstage.
Of course, many fans have interpreted this move as a deliberate response to the lawsuit. However, others have pointed out that this may be a reference to a recent controversy regarding Erica.
In case you missed it, Erica took to social media this week in Beyoncé’s shadow, accusing her of copying her style.
While performing in New Jersey at the weekend, Bey wore a large, wide-brimmed metal hat, which Erica felt too reminiscent of the same large, silver hat she had worn before.
She expressed her frustration on her Instagram story, writing, “I guess I’m the stylist for everyone.”
Tons of fans have come to Beyoncé’s defense, noting that she has been known to wear large hats for many years, especially during her Formation world tour in 2016.
Beyoncé herself did not respond to the undertone, though fans believe her altered lyrics may have been a deliberate homage to Erica rather than Lizzo – or perhaps even both.
We can’t know for sure, though the answers may become clear when Beyoncé performs the song again at the next stop of her tour in Washington, D.C. this weekend.