:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/megan-thee-stallion-042324-6c050af892db4691896fe41bc8108d0f.jpg)
A former cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion is suing the rapper and accusing her of harassment and creating a hostile work environment, which includes allegedly fat-shaming him and having sex with another passenger while they were all inside the same moving car.
Emilio Garcia said in the complaint filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court that the hip-hop star, real name Megan Pete, as well as Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment, Inc., Hot Girl Touring, LLC, and Roc Nation violated more than half a dozen labor codes and that he has not been properly compensated for his work.
Per the complaint reviewed by EW, Garcia alleged he was misclassified as an independent contractor when he was hired in July 2018, which denied him of protections under California law, including health care and overtime pay in excess of six figures. When Roc Nation changed the compensation structure to a pay-per-task system in August 2022, Garcia alleged time expectations and demands remained the same for significantly less pay. He also alleged that musician prohibited him from working with other clients.
Representatives for Megan Thee Stallion and Roc Nation, a management company founded by rapper Jay-Z, didn’t immediately respond to EW’s requests for comment.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty
Garcia also alleged that while riding in an SUV with three other women during a night out, Megan and one of the women began “having sex right beside” him while on tour in Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022. Garcia claimed he “could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country,” per the complaint, and he was left “embarrassed, mortified, and offended throughout the whole ordeal.” It is unclear in the complaint whether Megan knew Garcia was in the same vehicle at the time.
He also accused Stallion of fat-shaming him by allegedly calling him a “fat bitch” and telling him to “spit your food out” and “you don’t need to be eating.”
The cameraman was ultimately terminated by Roc Nation in June 2023, which he believes was retaliation for voicing complaints about the alleged labor and wage violations.
Ron Zambrano, an attorney for Garcia, said in a statement obtained by EW, “Megan just needs to pay our client what he’s due, own up to her behavior, and quit this sort of sexual harassment and fat-shaming conduct. Emilio should never have been put in a position of having to be in the vehicle with her while she had sex with another woman. ‘Inappropriate’ is putting it lightly. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal.”
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
