TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas has insisted she’s “not MAGA” after being caught making multiple donations to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and reposting a conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama.
The “No Scrubs” singer, 55, came under fire this week after reposting the video about the former first lady.
Shortly afterwards, The Independent reported that Thomas contributed to MAGA-aligned fundraising groups, including WinRed, the payment processor for Republican donations, and Never Surrender Inc., a leadership PAC with links to Trump. Thomas also donated to the president’s 2024 re-election campaign.
All donations–totaling around $1,000–were discovered under her full name and a Georgia address publicly linked to Thomas.
The ’90s girl-group member released an apology video clarifying the repost and her donations. She said she isn’t very “computer-savvy” and had no intention of sharing the video.
“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. I would never do that,” she said in her video.
“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.”
Thomas complained that Instagram’s “repost” button is too close to other buttons in the app, a feature many users have criticized since the platform rolled it out.
She continued to clear her stance, revealing that she voted for former President Barack Obama twice.
“I have supported the Obamas. I gave to the campaign, both runs, voted twice for him, and supported the organization that Michelle had in the schools for exercise for the kids. I would never do anything that’s harmful or hateful to anybody. I’m not wired like that,” she said to her 1.4 million followers.
As for the donations, Thomas said she believed she was donating to causes that support veterans and help fight human trafficking.
“I WANT TO BE CLEAR: I am not MAGA,” she wrote, “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 veterans.” Thomas added that she cares “deeply” about supporting veterans because her father is one himself.
“I have learned a valuable lesson and ask for grace as I navigate this,” she concluded.
Thomas did not clarify why her name is linked to donations to Trump’s fundraising committee.
The singer was also found to follow several MAGA figures on Instagram, including Donald Trump Jr., conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, and Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, according to HuffPost. At the time of writing, she no longer follows these accounts.
The controversy broke just days after TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue announced a tour this summer and fall.
