TLC's Chilli addresses reports that she donated to Trump's re-election campaign
TLC's Chilli addresses reports that she donated to Trump's re-election campaign
Shania RussellSun, March 29, 2026 at 5:12 PM UTC
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TLC's Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas in Atlanta in 2024Credit: Prince Williams/WireImage
TLC's Chilli is denying the MAGA allegations following reports that she made a number of donations to Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2024.
Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas sparked a pair of controversies over the weekend after FEC records revealed that she donated more than $1000 to Republican fundraisers linked to Trump's 2024 reelection efforts.
Fans then turned to the singer's social media pages, where they noticed that she had reshared a video claiming that Michelle Obama was not born female and that the former first lady was once registered to vote as a man in the state of Illinois. These conspiracy theories, dubbed "transvestigations," are popular among extremist, right-wing online circles.
On Saturday, Chili uploaded a video statement explaining that the now-deleted Obama video was reshared to her page by accident.
"Let me say this first: I have the utmost respect and admiration for Michelle Obama, and I would never say or do anything that is disrespectful to her or to any woman," Thomas began in her video. "I would never do that. I have no clue that this repost had happened until I started getting phone calls and text messages from everybody, and I immediately went to my page to see what was going on."
Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas performs at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 26, 2026Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
She continued, "I'm not very computer-savvy, so I'm looking for this repost button, and I see that all of these buttons are very, very close to each other, and clearly I was scrolling and my thumb hit the repost button. Again, I had no clue that something like this happened until I got all the calls."
Chilli then pointed out that she has long supported the Obamas, including through donations to both of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns.
"I would never do anything that's harmful or hateful to anybody," she added. "I'm not wired like that."
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Addressing the political donations in the video's caption, Chilli wrote that she thought she was donating funds that would benefit military veterans and help end human trafficking.
"I did not read the fine print," she said.
FEC records show that Thomas made three separate donations, reports The Independent: $210.60 to WinRed, the payment processor for Republican campaign donations; $340.60 to the Trump National Committee JFC; and $486.54 to Never Surrender Inc., a political fundraising group affiliated with Trump. The singer did not go into detail on how the mix-up occurred.
A spokesperson for Chilli told Entertainment Weekly on Sunday that there were in fact 17 donations "made over time" after being "set up as automatic recurring contributions." They added that Thomas "has always led with heart, compassion, and a genuine desire to give back" and genuinely thought the donations "were directed toward causes she deeply believes in."
TLC's T-Boz, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes, and Chilli in 1996Credit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
"It is unfortunate that her intentions are being misinterpreted," her representative continued. "Chilli has been clear in her personal statement. She does not align with MAGA ideology, nor does she support any policies rooted in harm or division. Her life and career have reflected the opposite — a commitment to uplifting women, leading with empathy, and using her voice for positive impact."
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The "No Scrubs" singer echoed this sentiment in the video caption, writing, "I am not MAGA and do not support any of the many policies that are causing great harm to the American people. I made a mistake too many make: I did not read the fine print. I thought I was supporting causes against human trafficking and for veteran. Two things I care deeply about, as my dad is a veteran, and everyone knows I love children. I have learned a valuable lesson and ask for grace as I navigate this."
Chilli's controversy comes just a week after she and TLC's other member, Tionne Tenese Watkins (a.k.a. T-Boz), announced that they were joining forces with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue for their It's Iconic tour this summer.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
