Forced Abortions, No Sleep: The Dark Side of Performing for the Popular Girl Group Pussycat Dolls Exposed
July 1 2024, Published 10:46 a.m. ET
Nicole Scherzinger has opened up about the dark side of performing with the Pussycat Dolls, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Scherzinger, 46, who served the popular girl group's lead singer from 2003 to 2010 and 2019 to 2021, revealed in a new interview with the Sunday Times that their rise to fame in the early 2000s was a "profoundly overwhelming experience."
"I'm really proud of the music that the Dolls made, and I’m very proud of the little mark that we made with our group. But it was very difficult because I was really learning about myself along the way," Scherzinger explained.
"It was such a difficult time, struggling and battling your own demons and issues and always being on the road, and they never allowed sleep in our schedule," she continued. "I mean, it was just a recipe for disaster, to be honest with you."
"They have rules set in place, and, you know, it’s more of a woke community now," Scherzinger added. "But it wasn’t like that when we were doing it. It was just kind of like, ‘Work them to the bone until they’re passed out.’ It was just hard for me to sleep. I always had sleeping issues."
The singer clarified that despite the stress and difficulties, she "didn’t feel exploited at all" during her time with the Pussycat Dolls "because I was in control of what I was doing."
Kaya Jones, who performed with the Pussycat Dolls from 2003 to 2004, claimed during an appearance on Fox Nation's Tucker Carlson Today last year that she was forced to have an abortion to keep her place in the group.
"I was told to get rid of it," she said, alleging that they were told they would be "fired" if they got pregnant. When asked who pushed her to terminate the pregnancy, she responded, "The powers that be."
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Although Scherzinger reunited with other Pussycat Dolls members Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, and Kimberly Wyatt in 2019, their planned world tour was postponed due to the pandemic and later cancelled entirely.
The group's founder, Robin Antin, sued Scherzinger for breach of contract over the scrapped tour, with Scherzinger denying the allegations and filing a lawsuit of her own against Antin.
"It was a complete shock, disappointment and heartbreak for me," Scherzinger said of the lawsuit. "But I’m not a victim; I’m a victor. And I stood my ground. I knew where I stood, which is why I responded with eight counterclaims. But, you know, I’m hopeful for the future. I’m very hopeful."