TLC’s Chilli Reveals If She Has Any Regrets Tied to 1996 Grammys Speech About Winning Awards While Being Broke (Exclusive)
TLC’s Chilli Reveals If She Has Any Regrets Tied to 1996 Grammys Speech About Winning Awards While Being Broke (Exclusive)
Lexi Lane, Abby SternSun, April 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas performing at the iHeartRadio Music AwardsCredit: Michael Buckner/Getty -
TLC's Chilli and T-Boz reflected on their viral 1996 Grammy speech about being broke despite massive success
The duo emphasized how their story helped other artists and shared how they now control their business decisions
TLC will join Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue for the "It's Iconic" Tour starting August 15 across the U.S.
TLC took home two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1996, and their speech after their wins is still just as relevant nearly thirty years later.
While members Chilli and T-Boz were at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles on March 26, they spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about clips of their speech continuing to go viral today.
"Oh, yes. You know what's funny? My son sent that to me. He was like, 'Mom, I've never seen this.' And it's so funny. Yeah, but that was a real thing," Chilli, 55, recalled. "We didn't get pulled off. But I'm sure the label was not happy that we said that, but it was the truth."
"Hilarious. Yeah, it was the truth," T-Boz, 55, added.
"We hope that our story was helpful to many other artists," Chilli said. "And obviously, we've learned so much and we are definitely very much in control of our business. So we don't play those games."
T-Boz and Chilli at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music FestivalCredit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
At the time, TLC spoke at the Grammy Awards press conference about reaching incredible levels of success, but not seeing that reflected in their paychecks.
"I can say this, everything's not going the way we so-called 'would want it to be' or 'how it should be,' " T-Boz said.
"We're not gonna sugarcoat anything anymore," Chilli responded. "Well, I'll put it to you this way. We are the biggest-selling female group ever, 10 million albums worldwide. We have worked very hard. We have been in this business for five years. And we are broke as broke can be."
Chilli added that they weren't trying to be a "sad story" and that "it might be hard to believe because we've sold so many albums, but it is possible. That's the deal here, and we're not happy at all."
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A reporter in the audience then called out to TLC's late member, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who died at age 30 in 2002 from a car crash, to come up to the mic to speak at the press conference.
"I can't go into everything right now, but trust me, you can sell 10 million albums and be broke if you have greedy people behind you," Left Eye said.
TLC at the Grammy Awards in 1996Credit: Ron Davis/Getty
Chilli then stepped in for Left Eye. "They're thinking that you're on top of the world," she said. "When you're quiet like that, no one knows, so that's why we're telling it. We're not telling it to get anybody in trouble."
While at the recent iHeartRadio Music Awards, Chilli and T-Boz performed a medley alongside Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, including some of their biggest hits like "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls."
The three bands will be heading out on the road for their "It's Iconic" Tour, which kicks off in Franklin, Tenn. on Aug. 15.
“I feel like this is going to be the most fun touring experience I’ve ever had,” Cheryl “Salt” James said in a video announcement. “And I feel like we’re going to feel the queens is in the building. We’ve earned this seat … This show is going to be crazy. We’re doing the whole mixtape vibe, coming in and out.”
“The music from the Nineties, it’s just … the lyrical content is great,” Chilli added. “You can put on a song no matter how you’re feeling. Once you hit the 2000s, the lyrical content just changes. The beats are crazy, but it’s just different. And it’s crazy to see eight-year-olds sitting in the audience singing all of the songs.”
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The tour will take place in cities across the U.S., and will end on Oct. 11 in Concord, Calif.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
