Harris to appear at rally alongside Lizzo who was accused of sexually harassing female dancers

Singer set to join vice-president at campaign stop in Detroit on Saturday after urging supporters to ‘please vote’

Kamala Harris will appear at a rally on Saturday alongside a singer facing allegations of sexually harassing her female dancers.
Grammy-winning artist Lizzo is due to join the vice-president at a campaign stop in Detroit, having earlier this week urged supporters to “please vote”.
The last time the singer, 36, appeared at a Democrat event was in March, when she headlined a fundraiser for Joe Biden.
Her performance was met with a backlash, with Ron Zambrano, the lawyer representing three of her accusers, calling it “shameful” that she would be chosen to headline the event following a series of damning allegations of professional misconduct against her.
Following the event, Lizzo announced she was “quitting” music because she was tired of the “lies” spread about her.
Three former members of Lizzo’s dance troupe filed a lawsuit against the singer in August last year accusing her of sexual harassment and weight-shaming.
The suit, filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, accused the singer of forcing one of the dancer’s to touch another nude performer’s breast while attending a sexually-themed show in Amsterdam.
Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, was also alleged to have called out Ms Davis for gaining weight and accusing the dancer of not being committed to her role.
In the days afterwards, the Good as Hell singer hit back at the “sensationalised stories” on social media, accusing her former back up dancers of “inappropriate and unprofessional” behaviour.
In February a judge denied Lizzo’s request to have the lawsuit dismissed, and ruled that the case will move forward, minus a few of the allegations.
She appealed the decision the following month, with the case expected to remain on hold for several months.
The singer, who was born in Detroit, earlier this week encouraged attendees at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit to vote Democrat, saying “There’s so many important issues on the ballot this year”.
The artist, who rose to fame for her songs celebrating body positivity and empowering black women, said at the event: “I’ve been cancelled for everything at this point. Only God can cancel me now.”
In 2022, the singer removed a “racial slur” from a song on her album following backlash.
It comes after the artist posted a video on social media in August captioned “I’m taking a gap year and protecting my peace.” The footage showed the singer on a balcony in Bali wearing a black bathing suit.
According to her website, the singer has performed just once – at a corporate event for Walmart employees in June – following her appearance at Mr Biden’s fundraiser.
Lizzo is the latest controversial figure Ms Harris will share a stage with, after appearing alongside Mark Cuban on Thursday. The billionaire former Republican donor was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for admonishing players and referees on the basketball court as owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
Ms Harris will appear alongside another pop star on Saturday, when Usher will join her for a rally in the battleground state of Georgia.