Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger rejects claims of going back on a deal to perform with the band in a reunion tour. She brands the allegations as “ludicrous and false”.
The band’s choreographer and founder Robin Antin is suing the singer for allegedly reneging on a previously announced tour.
However, Scherzinger’s lawyer says that such obligations “simply do not exist”, and calls the legal case “a desperate attempt to divert blame”. He thinks that Antin is trying to “trade on Nicole’s hard-earned success to pull herself out of a deep financial hole she has created by her own poor business and professional decisions”.
Nicole apparently has a lot of love and respect for the fans and “hopes to one day be back on stage performing the group’s amazing hits for them”. But “sadly, this will not happen under these circumstances”.
Legal papers filed by Antin say that Scherzinger wanted to renegotiate the reunion agreement so she could have more creative control. She also allegedly requested a bigger share in the group’s new business venture.
The reunion tour and PCD Worldwide
In November 2019, ten years after the Pussycat Dolls split, the band announced reuniting for a live tour. Five of the six band members, Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt, Carmit Bachar and Jessica Sutta would come together to perform a series of shows in the UK. The groups hit singles include Don’t Cha and Jai Ho.
Court papers show Scherzinger had an agreement to make up to 45 live appearances with the group as an “active partner” in the tour.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), an agreement drawn up and signed before the tour’s announcement, listed details of how the money would be shared between everyone involved. As the lead singer and face of the group, Scherzinger had the majority share of 32.5%. Fellow bandmates Roberts, Wyatt and Sutta each stood to receive 12.5% of net profits, as did Antin, the “chief executive officer, director and sole owner of PCD”. Meanwhile, Bachar, who left the group in 2008, would get 5% of the takings on her return.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, putting an end to the tour plans. The band later announced that the dates would be rescheduled for some time in the future, when safe.
As well as earnings from the tour, Scherzinger stood to gain a 49% stake in a new Pussycat Dolls business venture called PCD Worldwide. Meanwhile, Antin had a 51% share of the company. The share of the new business was being given to Scherzinger in return for her participation in the reunion tour.
PCD Worldwide would manage the Pussycat Dolls brand and all new projects in the future, including forming a “new generation” of the group.
What Nicole Scherzinger wanted
According to the court papers, Scherzinger originally agreed to the 49% share in PCD Worldwide in 2019. But later she wanted this increased to 75%. She allegedly emailed Antin in April 2021, refusing to take part in any live shows unless they renegotiated the contracts for her to have a bigger share in the company.
Scherzinger said the reason for her demand was because of the “growth of her personal brand” and the “opportunities she would have to forego to continue to engage in the partnership”.
The lead singer has been one of the most successful stars of the group since their split. She enjoyed a solo career in the early 2010s and has starred on the stage in West End shows. Most recently she has become a judge on TV competitions including The X Factor and The Masked Singer USA.
Antin refused to meet the demand, describing it as “extortion”. She says Scherzinger already had a contractual obligation to take part in the tour under the signed MoU.
Costly for the band
The legal case has now prevented the rescheduling of the reunion tour dates. This has resulted in the band amassing financial costs until they find a solution. Tour company Live Nation already invested $600,000 (£434,000) to partner with the group on their reunion. If the concerts do not go ahead now, the firm will want their money back.
In response to the legal action, Scherzinger’s lawyer says: “Prior to Nicole’s involvement, trading on Nicole’s name without her consent, Robin borrowed (and spent) $600,000 from Live Nation that she won’t or can’t repay”.
The lawyer’s statement also claims Scherzinger invested over $150,000 of her own money to support a Pussycat Dolls reunion. “This has now been made impossible by Robin’s actions (including the public release of the group members’ confidential financial information)”.
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