Salt-N-Pepa‘s Cheryl “Salt” James has come to the defense of TLC‘s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas after reports broke claiming the “No Scrubs” singer sent handfuls of donations to President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign and GOP colleagues, and also amid backlash of Chilli reposting a conspiracy about former First Lady Michelle Obama.
As we previously shared, FEC records surfaced online showing a Rozonda Thomas, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, donating nearly $1,000 to Trump’s campaign and his Republican colleagues, according to The Independent.
Additionally, Meidas News reported that of the $900 donated, about $800 went to Trump, about $7 went to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and $63 went to the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee), which seeks to keep the GOP in control of Congress.
The FEC records that surfaced followed reports of Chilli reposting a debunked article claiming Michelle Obama once “registered to vote as a man in 1994, according to Illinois State Board of Elections.” Although Chilli undid the repost to her Instagram page, the damage was already done and critics were dragging her online.
Subsequently, Chilli broke her silence to defend herself, and ultimately the tour she and her group are going on. As we previously shared, the allegations against the singer arrive days after TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue announced their first-ever co-headlining tour.
Chilli Denies Being ‘MAGA’ After FEC Records Show Her Donating To Donald Trump Campaign In 2024 And After She Reposts Article Alleging Michelle Obama Is A Man
Chilli shared a video statement with TMZ to address all of the drama. She insisted that she has the utmost respect and adoration for Michelle Obama and accidentally hit the repost button on the article calling her a man.
In the video, Chilli briefly addressed the reports of her donating to Donald Trump. She said that any political donations that she makes are to “help veterans.” Chilli proceeded to share another statement, this time directly to her Instagram page.
In that post, she insisted that she is “NOT MAGA,” and again mentioned that she intended for her political donations to “help veterans” and “stop human trafficking.” She wrote:
“Hey guys, I wanted to come on here to address a few things that are circulating on the internet, that’s very concerning to me. 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. And I had 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.Now mind you, I’m not very computer-savvy, so I’m looking for this repost button. And I see that all of them, 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. But of course, I took that down.
And you know, I would never post anything like that. I would never do something like that. That is not my character. 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 just not wired like that. That is—that’s just not who I am.
And when it comes to organizations that I have donated to, these are the things that support the veterans. I have always supported them, not just now, but for years. This is not something new. So, I just wanted to let you guys know, you know, this from me, you know, that I would never do anything so disrespectful and I would just never, I’m just not about hate or anything like that.
If you look, look on my page and see my post, it’s all about love, faith and connection. That’s what I’m all about, you know, and I’ve always been that way, and I will continue to be just that way. So, I just want to thank you guys for, your love and your support, and just taking the time to listen to me right now. I really, really appreciate that. And I love you guys. Thank you so much.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s Salt Defends TLC’s Chilli Amid Drama Over Donald Trump Donations And Michelle Obama Conspiracy Repost
After Chilli broke her silence to defend herself against MAGA allegations, a fellow 90s music legend, Salt, of Salt-N-Pepa, rushed to defend her. Salt commented under Chilli’s post told critics, “Y’all it was accident and I believe her, if my own sister made that mistake l’d believe her.” She also sent this message to Chilli:
“Chilli please keep your pretty head all the way up sister, this world is very quick to believe anything and everything posted on social media. Quick to crucify and slow to forgive. Even when you straighten it out haters will always hate. We know you and your heart. I truly pray that you don’t shed not one tear or lose not one minute of sleep or peace over any of this.
We got you and any threat of not coming to the show from anyone will not stop us from loving on you and supporting you as a person and your legacy in music. This is the type of bullying we as a people have to stand up to. Whoever comes to see us GREAT and whoever doesn’t will miss something special, powerful sisters coming together. POSITIVE VIBES ONLY!!! Continue to let your light shine QUEEN!!!”
RELATED: Chilli Reveals She And Matthew Lawrence Haven’t Had One Argument Since They Began Dating In 2022
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