President Joe Biden's high-profile fundraiser next week at New York City's Radio City Music Hall will feature a celebrity lineup that includes pop vocalist Lizzo and actor Ben Platt.
The event, hosted by Mindy Kaling, will consist of a conversation with Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton moderated by Stephen Colbert, host of CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
A source familiar with the planning said Obama was called a month and a half ago and asked to participate. Obama was available, the source said, and immediately happy to do it when asked.
Lizzo’s appearance is likely to raise eyebrows because she faces a lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers, who have accused her of creating a hostile work environment and sexually harassing employees. She has denied all allegations against her in the suit, calling them “false,” “unbelievable” and “outrageous.” A judge last month denied Lizzo's request to dismiss the lawsuit.
Platt has previously appeared at a fundraiser for Biden, at a New York theater in September.
Other celebrities billed as special guests for the event March 28 include actors Lea Michele and Queen Latifah, whom Biden welcomed at the White House in December as she became a Kennedy Center honoree for a lifetime of artistic achievement.
Cynthia Erivo, an actor and singer known for her Oscar-nominated portrayal of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and her role in the Broadway revival of "The Color Purple," is also a featured guest.
Biden’s re-election campaign announced this week that the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and Democratic state parties collectively raised $53 million in February — in what the campaign said was its strongest grassroots fundraising month since it launched last April.
