TLC's Chili Sets the Record Straight on Her Politics After Donald Trump Donation
TLC legend Rozonda Chilli Thomas is pushing back after FEC filings linked her to a $1,000 donation to Donald Trump and GOP groups, insisting she isn’t MAGA and rejects those policies.
Chilli spent her weekend putting out a political fire. The TLC icon says she is not MAGA, despite federal records surfacing that list donations tied to Donald Trump and GOP groups. And yes, she also addressed that messy Michelle Obama repost.
What kicked this off
On Saturday, March 28, FEC filings started making the rounds showing that Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas, 55, made a handful of small-dollar contributions routed through Republican fundraising channels. The receipts point to just over $1,000 total, spread across a payment processor and two Trump-linked committees.
- $210.60 to WinRed, the Republican donation platform (think payment processor, not a charity )
- $340.60 to Trump National Committee JFC, a joint fundraising committee tied to Trump
- $486.54 to Never Surrender Inc., a political fundraising group linked to Trump
That understandably raised eyebrows. Chilli jumped on Instagram the same day to say the donations were not what they look like.
'I WANT TO BE CLEAR: I am not MAGA and do not support any of the many policies that are causing great harm to the American people.'
In her post, she says she did not read the fine print and thought she was giving to efforts against human trafficking and for veterans. Those are causes she says matter to her personally — her dad is a veteran, and she emphasizes how much she cares about kids. She calls it a lesson learned and asks for a little grace while she sorts it out.
The other thing: that Michelle Obama repost
Chilli also filmed a video to address a separate, equally viral headache: she briefly reposted a debunked, transphobic conspiracy claiming Michelle Obama (62) registered as male in Illinois back in 1994. That claim has been repeatedly proven false.
Her explanation: it was an accidental tap while scrolling. She says she is not exactly tech savvy, the buttons are cramped together, and she did not even realize it had posted until friends started calling. She took it down as soon as she saw it and stressed her respect for Michelle Obama and women in general.
Chilli adds that she supported the Obamas — donated during both of Barack Obama’s runs, voted for him twice, and backed Michelle’s school fitness initiative — and that posting anything hateful is not who she is. She also points out her support for veterans is longstanding, not a new talking point.
So, to sum up the weekend: FEC receipts showing partisan pipelines + one very ill-advised repost = a lot of damage control. Chilli says it was a misunderstanding on the money and a mis-tap on the repost. Whether that lands with fans is the next chapter.