Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo says claims of sexual harassment made against her by former dancers “false” and “outrageous”.

In a lawsuit released on Tuesday, three former dancers for Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, accused her of creating a hostile work environment, including weight shaming and sexually denigrating behaviour.

The lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court named Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc and the captain of her dance team, Shirlene Quigley, court documents showed.

In a lengthy post on the social media site X – formerly known as Twitter – Lizzo said the past few days had been “gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing”.

“Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” she wrote.

“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.”

The complaints filed by plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez include harassment based on sex, religion, race and disability.

In the lawsuit, the dancers claimed they were coerced into touching nude performers at an Amsterdam strip club in late February.

The suit also stated that Ms Davis was pressured to participate in a nude photo shoot to stay in a dance competition, despite her discomfort.

She claimed she feared losing her job if she didn’t comply with Lizzo’s requests.

“The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralising,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement.

‘Never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable’

Lizzo, who last month toured Australia and played at the Splendour in the Grass festival, is known for her body-positive live performances that celebrate self-love.

In her post she said she took “my music and my performances seriously” and that with that passion “comes hard work and high standards”.

“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,” she wrote.

“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 said she was “hurt” by the allegations but would “not let the good work I’ve done be overshadowed by this”.

The lawsuit also alleged that Ms Quigley, the dance team captain, harassed the dancers by subjecting them to her religious beliefs against their will.

“Ms Quigley was not only vocal about her religious beliefs but took every opportunity to proselytise to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations,” the lawsuit stated.

The plaintiffs’ claimed that Ms Quigley forced the topic of Ms Davis’ virginity into conversations and interviews and on social media where she publicly revealed personal details about Ms Davis without her consent.

Ms Davis and Ms Williams were eventually fired while Ms Rodriguez resigned over the behaviour, the lawsuit said.