TLC’s Chilli is being “dramatically” affected by the backlash to claims that she’s part of the MAGA movement.
It has recently been revealed that the “No Scrubs” singer made donations to Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and that she retweeted vicious posts about Michelle Obama.
She says they were all accidental and that she’s not a Trump supporter. But the response from fans has been intense.
“She’s taking this all very seriously, and this shouldn’t supercede a legacy that includes the empowerment of black women,” a source close to the TLC singer told Page Six, “She’s not that person.”
“She really isn’t MAGA. She voted for President Obama twice. There’s no MAGA community around her. She looks at MAGA as [the Jan. 6th insurrectionists],” they continued.
Chilli came under fire last week when it came to light that she once reposted a horrid conspiracy theory about the former First Lady. Our source told us she was mortified by the repost, and she released a statement expressing deep respect for the Obamas, and denouncing the MAGA community.
“This has affected her quite dramatically, and she has been praying with her prayer group every day,” they added.
Social media warriors, influencers, and public figures like DL Hughley and Jemele Hill weren’t buying it. Some even accused her of backtracking in order to save TLC’s upcoming tour with Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue (whose members are dealing with their own drama).
Her response seemed to do more harm than good, with Internet sleuths unearthing every MAGA-associated person she follows, posts she likes, and donations she has made to organizations associated with Trump’s movement.
She attempted to explain the donations away, saying: “I didn’t read the fine print. I thought I was supporting causes against human trafficking and for veterans.”
“Her association was based upon conservative values. . . She doesn’t believe in hate. Her message was honest and authentic. She is not feeling well about any of this,” said the source, adding that the singer isn’t technologically savvy and does not own a laptop.
Another source told us they believe Chilli’s statement to be true, but accused the religious singer of willful ignorance. “I’m not shocked [she was unaware],” they said.
Meanwhile, music insiders are pointing at slow ticket sales for the tour in major markets like New York and buzzing about how the MAGA association could damage the box office receipts.
“The timing couldn’t be worse. Look at what’s going on in the world – even MAGA people are pissed off at MAGA,” one insider said.
And even though tickets may be selling slowly in NYC, we’re told there are already over 150,000 tickets sold. In six markets — including LA — they have sold out.
A rep for the singer and TLC did not get back to us.
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