Emma Portner, who choreographed Justin Bieber‘s Purpose World Tour in 2016, claims that she was not paid well for her work and believes this degrades women in the industry, including herself.
The professional dancer from Canada alleged on Instagram Monday that the “Sorry” singer paid her “barely anything” for her work.
“I regret working under your name,” Portner, 24, said in an Instagram message to 25-year-old Bieber. “I gave your universe my naive body, creativity, time and effort. Twice. For content you made millions off of. While I made zilch.”
She also claimed, “I couldn’t afford to eat. I was sweeping studio floors to be able to practice my own craft. The way you degrade women is an abomination.”
Page Six has reached out to Bieber’s team for comment.
In relation to the “Purpose: The Movement” film, which featured Portner and chronicled the world tour, a source told Page Six that Bieber “wasn’t even privy” to what was going on with budgets.
Portner’s comments come after Bieber criticized Taylor Swift for publicly blasting his longtime manager, Scooter Braun, after he acquired the rights to her old music. On social media, Bieber said Swift’s actions would incite her fans to “go and bully scooter.”
In her post, Portner, who is openly gay and married to the actress Ellen Page, also slammed Bieber for being part of the megachurch Hillsong, which she claims has anti-LGBTQ+ views. Page previously made the same allegations about the church.
“Your company hired an out lesbian in your music video, and to choreograph some content for your purpose world tour. How do you feel about that?” she wrote. “A lesbian, HELPING YOU, for a disrespectful amount of money, as you attend a church that goes against my existence?
Hillsong has previously denied that the church is “anti-anyone,” saying in a statement on its website that the organization “loves all people.”
Additional reporting by Francesca Bacardi
Source: Read Full Article
