Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, a member of the R&B group TLC, states she does not back Donald Trump’s MAGA movement following revelations from Federal Election Commission records about her contributions to his 2024 campaign.
Details of the Donations
Federal records indicate Thomas donated $210.60 to WinRed, a platform for Republican campaigns, $340.60 to the Trump National Committee JFC, and $486.54 to Never Surrender Inc., a group tied to Trump fundraising efforts.
Her Public Clarification
In a recent Instagram post addressing fan backlash, the 55-year-old singer writes, “I WANT TO BE CLEAR: I am not MAGA and do not support any of the many policies that are causing great harm to the American people.”
She explains the error: “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 veterans.” Thomas adds that these issues matter deeply to her, noting her father’s veteran status and her passion for children’s welfare.
She requests understanding, stating, “I have learned a valuable lesson,” while seeking “grace as I navigate this.”
Michelle Obama Repost Controversy
Thomas also tackles uproar over resharing a post promoting a false conspiracy theory claiming Michelle Obama is transgender. In a video on her Instagram, she expresses concern over the online reaction, saying, “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. I would never do that.”
She attributes it to an accident: “I had no clue that this repost had happened until I started getting phone calls and text messages from everybody.” Thomas describes scrolling on her phone, where buttons sit close together, and her thumb accidentally hit repost. “I am not very computer-savvy,” she notes, and immediately checked her page upon alerts.
TLC Career and Previous Backlash
Thomas joined TLC in 1991, replacing Crystal Jones, and formed the iconic trio with Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. The group achieved massive success with their 1999 hit “No Scrubs.”
She previously drew criticism in a 2017 Channel 4 News interview for saying “all lives matter” when discussing Black Lives Matter. Thomas elaborated, “For me, all lives matter, you know what I mean? Because there is a time when different groups are targeted for different things. So I just think that what happened, even with the police brutality against these young Black boys and stuff like that — all of that kind of stuff is wrong.”
She emphasized, “Even if it was a Caucasian teen kid that this was happening to, it’s just not right,” and called for better background and mental health checks for law enforcement hires.
