TLC’s Chilli Reveals She Was Almost Kicked Out of the Group

Can you imagine a world where TLC, one of the most successful girl groups in music history, was just TL? According to group member Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, that world was almost a reality.

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In a Wednesday (May 31) interview with People ahead of the Jun. 3 premiere of the new TLC Forever Lifetime documentary, Chilli revealed that one of her romances almost cost her her spot in the group. (The group famously sourced its name from the initials of its original members –Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Crystal Jones — and Chilli was given a nickname to preserve the accuracy of the acronym.)

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In the mid-’90s, Chilli began a relationship with Dallas Austin, an LaFace producer who contributed to TLC hits such as “Creep,” “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” and “Unpretty.” The couple’s romance, which gifted them their now 25-year-old son Tron, did not sit well with the group’s manager, L.A. Reid’s then-wife Pebbles. “They were holding auditions to replace me but never saw anybody that they liked,” Chilli revealed. “I don’t think anybody cared about the Dallas thing but Pebbles.”

Of course, between heinously exploitative contracts and burning down mansions, Chilli and Dallas’ fling was one of many rough patches the group endured during their run. Nonetheless, attempts to replace Chilli failed, and the group remained a trio until the tragic passing of Left Eye in 2002. To date, TLC has earned nine top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 1 singles “Waterfalls,” “Unpretty,” “Creep,” and “No Scrubs.” On the Billboard 200, the Grammy-winning group has earned three top ten titles including Fanmail, which peaked at No. 1 for five weeks in 1999.

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