The group that made “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” and “Unpretty” has a problem it can’t choreograph its way out of: one member was quietly funding the MAGA movement while the other was co-chairing a campaign to protect the Affordable Care Act from it. TLC is the best-selling American girl group of all time — 65 million records, four Grammys, and a catalog of ’90s hits that doubled as social commentary for Black women. This weekend, FEC records added a new chapter to that story.
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas made 17 donations totaling $897.14 to GOP organizations between April and November 2024, according to filings reported by MeidasTouch and The Independent. The money went to Trump-aligned PACs and committees via WinRed and Never Surrender Inc., plus the Trump National Committee JFC, the NRSC, and Ted Cruz — all under the name Rozonda Thomas, listed at a Stone Mountain, Georgia address.
Chilli Says She Thought She Was Helping Veterans
Thomas posted a statement to Instagram on Saturday saying she is “not MAGA” and that she “did not read the fine print.” She says she believed she was donating to groups helping veterans and fighting human trafficking.
WinRed is the GOP’s main online fundraising platform for Republican candidates and committees. Never Surrender Inc. was Trump-branded. The Trump National Committee JFC has the former president’s name in the title. One FEC receipt shows a $100 donation to the Trump National Committee on October 16, 2024 — three weeks before Election Day.
None of those are veterans’ organizations.
The Michelle Obama Conspiracy Post That Stayed Up for a Day
The donations broke on the heels of another controversy. On March 12, according to EURweb, Thomas’s Instagram shared a post pushing the debunked conspiracy that Michelle Obama is transgender — a far-right, transphobic smear that has been used to target Black women for years. Thomas later said the repost was an accident and that she did not mean to disrespect Michelle Obama. The post stayed up for roughly 24 hours.
Update: Chilli from TLC claims her repost of a transphobic conspiracy attacking Michelle Obama was an unintentional mistake pic.twitter.com/1OEy47uSU9
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) March 29, 2026
Inside TLC, Two Very Different Political Legacies
T-Boz — Chilli’s bandmate for over three decades — has sickle cell disease. Diagnosed as a kid, told she wouldn’t make it to 30. In 2018, she co-chaired the Health Care Voter campaign to protect the ACA — the law that stopped insurers from denying people like her coverage.
Without the ACA, T-Boz doesn’t get treated. Chilli’s money went to the people who tried to gut it.
In a 2017 Vice interview, T-Boz said she couldn’t understand friends who voted for Trump, and referenced Chilli’s “all lives matter” comment from a Channel 4 interview that year as something she unfairly got blamed for.
The “No Scrubs” Group Now Has a Scrub Problem
TLC wasn’t just a group. “Waterfalls” talked about HIV/AIDS when nobody on the radio would. “Unpretty” told a generation of Black girls they were enough. They pinned condoms to their clothes at concerts.
But fans have been building a timeline that extends well beyond this weekend. In 2017, Chilli said “all lives matter” on Channel 4. In 2018, she told Essence she wanted Black women to be more “open” to dating outside their race. In 2024, she corrected a fan who called her “chocolate,” responding that she’s “caramel” — sparking colorism accusations after fans pointed out she’d agreed she resembled mixed-race actress Karrueche Tran but pushed back when compared to Jermaine Dupri’s darker-skinned daughter. Now, 17 FEC-documented donations to Trump-linked PACs. Each time, Chilli denied or walked it back. Each time, fans moved on. This time, the FEC receipts didn’t leave anything to walk back.
Put it all together and this doesn’t look like a single weekend scandal. It looks like a trail that was sitting in the open for years — and a denial that only showed up once there was money on the table.
Fans have pointed out the timing. TLC announced the “It’s Iconic” tour with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue on March 23. Tickets went on general sale March 26. The donation story broke March 28. A TLC musical is also set to premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. starting June 12. Some fans are already talking refunds online.
Chilli Still Follows Trump Jr. on Two Platforms
Thomas’s Instagram and X accounts remain unchanged. She still follows Donald Trump Jr., Tomi Lahren, Newsmax, Terrance K. Williams, Dean Cain, Byron Donalds, and Joy Villa.
A representative for Chilli told People that she “does not align with MAGA ideology.”
Thomas has asked for grace. Based on the comment sections, she might be waiting a while.
