[UPDATE] Aubrey O’Day Says Dawn Richard Is Physically & Verbally Abusive + Dawn Responds

(Note from Shannon)

My heart is heavy. It is all I can do to pull myself out of bed to face this task. But, I know it must be done. There are many people besides myself that this impacts. Bottom line, it is not fair! I am not asking that you validate it being so. I am writing because you— the fans and our loved ones — deserve an honest and transparent explanation. My desire is to genuinely apologize to everyone who has poured their time, heart and energy into us. So many lives have been affected by this chain of events.

In the first chapter of Danity Kane, I did my best to be the glue that held us together. Assuming the role of the “quiet one,” I tried to keep my opinions to myself and worked behind the scenes to balance our strong personalities for the good of the Danity Kane name. Unquestionably, there were amazing times and truly genuine moments. Please do not believe anything different. Those honest moments kept me motivated through the battles. That being said, people eventually made choices I could not control.

I entered into this journey again with sisters who understood a dynamic that nobody else could. I hoped we could honestly reflect on what we had been through and the mistakes that were made. After this last year of trying to make this next chapter a success, I am devastated to admit that my expectations were set too high. I now must walk away feeling used and manipulated in addition to the name Danity Kane. I know this raises numerous questions. But, for me to delve into a “he said, she said” narrative is a tactic best reserved for those who shamelessly hope to gain followers, irrespective of the truth and the consequences of one’s actions. I am a grown and confident woman, and I only need to share my perspective.

This has been a year of tremendous sacrifice. I left my husband alone for months on end, and he has undoubtedly suffered the most for my dreams. Aubrey graciously opened her home to me throughout this process, since I had no other place to stay. For that I am truly grateful! Day in and day out the focus in her home has been how to make Danity Kane an undeniable force of good. We tried our best to assemble a team to help bring Danity Kane back from the depths of disappointment and into an era where we, as independent women, were taken seriously in this business. From your perspective, I am sure it seems like this should have been an easy fix and that we should just “get it together.” Rest assured, we have been “getting it together” for a long time. At some point, the stress fracture was bound to turn into a break. It is unfortunate but real.

As for the actions that have brought us to this broken ending, I cannot speak for anyone or explain their internal struggles that prompted this heartbreaking sequence of events. All I know is what I have seen. I did not witness a shouting match, a cat fight or a brawl. I witnessed a single direct punch.

The group announced their return at the 2013 MTV VMA’s, released the single ‘Lemonade’ featuring rapper Tyga and toured the country this year. Originals member D. Woods did not return and Aundrea Fimbres left to start a family. The group released two albums and got their start on the MTV show Making The Band with Diddy and disbanded the first time in 2009.

UPDATE #2

Dawn has responded via Twitter:

According to TMZ, Dawn found out that Aubrey and Shannon were secretly holding meetings, recording tracks and discussing business matters involving the group. Reportedly, Dawn showed up to the studio and interrupted a private session with Shannon and Aubrey, when the altercation took place. Looks like it’s a OVAH for Danity Kane. 

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-@missjohnsonp_