[INTERVIEW] TLC’s Chilli Opens Up About Launching Petition Against Media + Responds to Ashley Reid Verbal Attack & Explains Why Usher Wasn’t Included In Movie

Chilli: No. It just didn’t fit into the part of the film because you got to understand when we did this – telling our story – it’s from the beginning. The people in our lives in the beginning were the people that you saw. So as time went along, Usher didn’t have – I don’t know our relationship wasn’t so significant when it came to my group – that was a different story because he was our producer. Tionne got married – and really we didn’t even go on her marriage because the fact that she was told that she could never have kids and she had Chase – then it made sense for you to kind of touch on that a bit. So with more so, what we were really dealing with was the most important part that we wanted people to see. All the other little things, who we dated here and all the other loves in our lives, to me it just didn’t make sense to put in there; so it wasn’t like it’s intentional, it just wasn’t necessary.

Jasmine BRAND: Gotcha. Did you all have a conversation like “Hey.. you’re not in it” – I mean because we’re fans and we’re the public and we’re like…

Chilli: I don’t want to – I’m going to be honest with you. The whole – I still to this day don’t understand – don’t get me wrong, Usher and I are friends. We’re cool. People are so caught up in that whole Chili-Usher thing and it’s just like everybody’s just caught up in but we’re not. So it’s like the movie was about the TLC story, it’s our thing. It doesn’t mean it’s everybody and it wasn’t about having a conversation with anybody to tell them they’re in it or not.

Jasmine BRAND: Okay! Got it. I’m sure you’ve heard – Pebbles released a statement on her Facebook page. Did you all get a chance to read it or are you just like “Whatever”? 

Chilli:  Personally, all I know is that she knew from the beginning that we were going to do the film – I told her myself. At the end of the day, when it comes to legal matters, there’s no way Viacom  would have did this movie with us and risked getting sued by anybody including Lisa. So basically everything we put in there was true – it was not a lie. We actually softened a bit of some of the situations – we didn’t even go in for real. But it’s like I’m not keeping up what’s going on with her, what she said because it doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter to my group member. At the end of the day, we told our story and I’m happy that we’re able to tell our story because it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a very very long time.

Jasmine BRAND: What is this – and this may have been made up – but something about her daughter Ashley making a not-so-nice comment on Twitter about she can’t wait to see you? 

Chilli: You know what? I don’t know – To be honest with you – I’ve been so caught up in thanking God with the blessings; with the success of this film. All the other stuff or half of the stuff that I don’t see – I’ll hear about it like from you or so or someone’s going to say something to me….We just felt we put out our relationship with her because that’s who we had the relationships with, that’s who we had those experiences with was Pebbles; not her children. And we’ve always had love for them – I’ve known them since they were babies. They were little so they weren’t even able to comprehend what was going on between us and their mom because they were children. So I don’t know. I really don’t have anything to say about the kids or anything like that, besides the fact that I hope they’re doing well and understand them being upset because everybody loves their mom. You just love your mother. But at the same time, at the end of the day, this is what happened between TLC and her. We didn’t make up these things. We just did not. Why would we do that?

Jasmine BRAND: Moving on. Left Eye’s Sister’s recent interview that she did – now I listened to her and from what I gathered, she was very impressed with how Lil Mama did in terms of bringing out her sister. But I guess she was sort of – I guess the family wasn’t included as much from the beginning and then she felt like Left Eye’s portrayal was was a little exaggerated.

Chili: No, it wasn’t exaggerated. It wasn’t exaggerated. If anybody’s a real TLC fan already know that that’s how she was and it is what it is. That’s their sister but she’s also our sister – they weren’t in the group with us – she was. They weren’t on the road, they weren’t in the hotel rooms when we’re talking and going through stuffs ourselves. It was just the three of us. That’s how we’re able to tell the story and that’s how we were the ones able to give Lil Mama the things that she needed. She also went online and did her homework like the other two actresses did. She really went all out to really make sure that she had all her right information and stuff about Lisa to portray her the right way. And Lisa was not – we’re her sister and we love her just as much as they do because she’s family. Look at this, we can’t replace her! There’s got to be some type of love and loyalty there because it’s still just the two of us. We have no intentions of replacing her and she’s been gone for a long time – groups replace people all the time and we did not do it when she was alive, and we ain’t doing it now. So I think that says enough. So at the end of the day, it was my understanding – her sister came up to me and was happy with again, Lil Mama’s portrayal and we’re happy with the film. Life as she liked it! Maybe she wants some attention or sh*t, I don’t know – I’m serious, because that kind of stuff drives me crazy. I’m like, ‘Really? You just said this and you’re out here saying that. Okay I got you.’

Jasmine BRAND: Moving on, what I really want to talk to you is about the petition that was created by you – I was unaware – and there’s no shade here, I don’t really go to MediaTakeout but they’re a very popular website. Can you kind of explain how this – and from what I’ve been told, I haven’t seen it yet – that the owner of MediaTakeout has since apologized? Can you kind of explain what happened and why you even started that petition?

Chili: Well first of all, I personally think that if any of these blogs or whatever, if they’re going to portray celebrities’ kids, it should always in the best light. When you’re known to be a trashy kind of site the way MediaTakeout is, you shouldn’t put kids up there. Period. Because you already kind of know the kind of people that goes to those sites – they make the most outrageous comments and they do it just to get attention – at whose expense? And it’s always the kids. I feel this way with any celebrity’s kids but then especially you want to talk to mine, because that’s my child. Then uh-uh, I just can’t tolerate that. I won’t have it because that’s not right. It’s just all the way wrong. They can put me in there and lie and do all they want to do – I don’t really care. But don’t talk about my son, don’t put him in there at all – what does he need to be in there for? So I hate that.

Jasmine Brand: Has he apologized? 

Chili: He did and apology accepted. But my thing is I didn’t want to say anything else – because he wants to know about what I wanted to say something, and I was like, ‘No, just don’t ever put my kid up there. Ever!

Jasmine Brand:  When I saw the petition – we did the story about the petition and stuff like that – our readers can be brutal sometimes but they completely agreed with you that the media should not be talking about anyone’s child.

Chili: Yeah! I think at the end of the day, everybody has a human side. And yeah it’s kind of fun to poke fun at people like this and make your comment – you’ll never say it in their face but you know, to type it whatever you want – but the kids are innocent. They should never be brought into anything like that and it is bullying still. And bullying is just not tolerated, it can’t be tolerated. It’s not right and it can affect a child a way that sometimes can’t even be repaired. So you know, as a parent, I got to take a stand and I think that even some of the people that say bad things or whatever – they were once kids – some of them are teenagers too, they know how that feels so it’s almost like you kinda able to put yourself in that situation and be like, ‘Okay, I get it. That’s not right’. I’m very happy with the positive turnout, a lot of people signed. They’re still signing it and I’m really going to fight hard for this because I’m not going to stop; because that shouldn’t happen. They become grown up and then they decide that they want to be in public eye doing whatever sports, or doing whatever the case may be that make people want to talk about them – then they’re grown ups at that point. I’m not saying that you should do this to grown people. I’m just saying that it kinda comes with the territory but kids are definitely off-limits. I don’t even care if they are celebrity kids, they’re still kids. It’s just not right.

Jasmine Brand: My next question to you was going to be, “Are you done with this issue?” but I know that people like Halle Berry are fighting for the paparazzi just kind of leave her daughter alone in terms of photography – is this something that, like you said, you’re going to continue fighting for?

Chili: Yeah absolutely I am. That’s what I’m saying. It’s not going to start and stop the petition. I’m going to continue to always be a voice for this, basically being a voice for kids, because that sh*t ain’t right. See that right there – even when I see them, they talk about Will and Jada’s kids like it’s ridiculous – it’s like – Ooo! It just makes me really want to find these people because half of them have kids too. What if all celebrities got together and we start on a blog, and then we chase down bloggers and their families; and talked about how their kids looked in a picture or just making up anything! Just exaggerating the truth or making up sh*t. Like what if we did that – I’m seriously contemplating doing that! Unfortunately, people really don’t get things until they’re in the hot seat!

For all things Chilli, follow her @OfficialChilli. Click here to find out more about Chilli’s petition.