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Beyonce, 41, seemingly put the Lizzo sexual harassment drama behind her during her Aug. 14 Renaissance concert in Atlanta. Despite the ongoing allegations against the 35-year-old, the “Halo” songstress gave her a shoutout during her performance of “BREAK MY SOUL (THE QUEENS Remix).” Soon after she belted out the names of women in music, Beyonce made sure to reinstate Lizzo’s name to the song. “Lizzo! I love you Lizzo!”, the 41-year-old shouted into the mic while on stage.
Beyoncé tonight in Atlanta: “Lizzo! I love you, @Lizzo!!”
#ATL #Round3 #RWT2023
pic.twitter.com/FpSHaODKqI
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) August 15, 2023
During the performance, Bey rocked a silver bedazzled corset with matching silver thigh-high boots. Other musicians that Queen B shouted out included Nicki Minaj, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Erykah Badu, and others. Her shoutout for the “Truth Hurts” hitmaker comes on the heels of Beyonce opting to not say Lizzo’s name in recent weeks, per CNN. The mother-of-three stopped saying Lizzo’s name in light of the recent allegations, however, that seems to be a choice of the past.
Soon after a video of Beyonce’s shoutout landed on social media, many of her fans took to the comments to react. “Beyoncé what are you doing,” one admirer tweeted, while another quipped, “She said what she said.” Meanwhile, a separate fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that Beyonce did not say anything about Lizzo. “this is AI, I was there she never said this,” they penned. Another fan seemingly agreed and did not believe the video. “damn ai getting real good these days,” they tweeted.
The now-viral concert moment comes just two weeks after several of Lizzo’s former dancers came forward with sexual harassment accusations against her, as reported by NBC News. In addition, they have accused her of “creating a hostile work environment,” and allegedly pressuring one of them to “touch a nude performer” in Amsterdam. Lizzo, who is known for her body positivity advocacy, has also been accused of “calling attention” to one of the dancer’s weight gain.
Soon after the allegations came to light, the Detroit native took to Instagram to deny the allegations against her. “These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelming and disappointing,” she wrote on Aug. 3. “My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed.”
Lizzo went on to call the allegations “sensationalized stories” and noted her intentions. “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. As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do,” she continued. “I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards.”
Although the musician expressed that she doesn’t want be looked at as a “victim” she went on to conclude her lengthy note about how “hurt” she is. “Sometimes I have to make hard decisions, but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team. I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo went on.
The remainder of the statement read: “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself, but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight. I’m hurt, but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this time.”
