Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, one-third of 1990s R&B girl group TLC, wasn’t quite able to make the headway she may have hoped she could when she released a video apologizing for her perceived support of MAGA.
According to a new report from Meidas News, Thomas has been supporting MAGA figures on Instagram since 2024. The star came under fire for reposting a conspiratorial post about former first lady Michelle Obama, which led to reports that the star had also made political donations to Trump and MAGA. Thomas released an apology video and posted a statement to Instagram, declaring she didn’t know her funds would specifically support Donald Trump, but the new report tells a different story.
Thomas, 55, for years has tapped “like” on posts from Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a MAGA-favorite who circulates MAGA’s talking points on his social media platforms.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Thomas for comment.
The star has publicly indicated support for Donalds’ posts by pressing the little heart beneath his posts praising Trump and depicting Democrats as the source of the current climate’s incendiary political rhetoric. She liked several posts of Donalds’ criticisms of former Vice President Kamala Harris, hailings of Trump’s immigration crackdowns, and his claims that the government was pushing an agenda to make children trans.
The star said in her video that the uncovered donations to right-wing causes were a result of her not “reading the fine print.” She added, “I thought I was supporting causes against human trafficking and for veterans.” She insisted she was “not MAGA.”
TLC, which has won four Grammy Awards, teamed up with female groups Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue to announce a tour this summer and fall. Many of the artists’ fans lean left politically.
Thomas didn’t clarify why she donated to Trump’s fundraising committee specifically in her video apology, but said, “I do not support any of the many policies that are causing great harm to the American people,” as she tried to distance herself from the right.
Even before Meidas published her years-long support of right-wing social media posts, the singer was following several conservative figures besides Donalds, including Donald Trump Jr. and conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, according to HuffPost.
She has since unfollowed these accounts in the wake of the controversy.
