everyone wants to know what is happening with the Pussycat Dolls because there have been rumors that you guys have split up yeah um the group okay why [Music] you wanted to go and do their own projects and stuff they come to you and they say we want to go do our own thing which affects your brand no so you were just cool with it [Music] but people don't even know the story they have no idea oh I was the one singing [Music] [Music] hi I'm Jake and I'm Shelby welcome to Deep dive where we dive
into told and untold stories if you've heard about it it's probably in a deep dive now today we're diving into one of the most mysterious secretive and successful girl groups of all time the Pussycat Dolls first we'll start by unlocking the secrets of the Pussycat doll's beginnings and just how Robin Anson created now Infamous burlesque group then we're going to get into just how a major record label transformed The Pussycat Dolls from an underground Dance troupe into one of the most impactful and influential groups of the early 2000s but as the dolls Rose to fame
tensions would rise with them they would not only be overworked and underpaid but even overshadowed by the lead singer Nicole Scherzinger lastly we're going to get into just how the Pussycat Dolls split up in 2010 only to get back together a decade later for a world tour that would never end up happening all because of a highly public and tumultuous legal battle between the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls and the group's Creator Robin Anton now speaking of the Pussycat Dolls almost reuniting for a world tour today's episode of Deep dive is sponsored by sea
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for you guys use our code Deep dive for 20 off tickets at Sea geek that's 20 off your first purchase with promo code Deep dive make sure you click the link in the description box to download the app thank you so much to see geek for sponsoring this video now let's get back into the history of just how the Pussycat Dolls came to be The Pussycat Dolls franchise actually started almost 30 years ago with one woman named Robin Anton so let's bring it back to the early 90s Rob and Anton a professional dancer and choreographer
is taking a dance class where she needs Christina Applegate who many don't know is also a professional dancer they become best friends then eventual roommates when Robin moved into Christina's house Robin would spend her nights putting together these amazing dance numbers in Christina's garage turn dance studio Christina Applegate knew these choreographed dances could become an incredible show so she used her Connections in the acting world to get Robin an audition at Johnny Depp's Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue frequented by many Hollywood Elites located right on the Sunset Strip
in West Hollywood Robin had envisioned a more burlesque styled theatrical Dance troupe that would provide a show giving the audience all the sensual thrill of a strip club but without the nudity with audition approaching Robin got to work preparing her group of dancers and would even so every single costume that they would wear the troop went on to audition in front of Johnny Depp himself and Johnny loved the performance so much that he wanted the dance group to become a Viper Room staple a burlesque show that could be enjoyed every single Thursday night and that
show would be called The Pussycat Dolls We're The Pussycat Dolls gentlemen hold on to your hats ladies hold on to your gentlemen it's time it's time with a [Music] 1930s burlesque gets a 1990s treatment from The Pussycat Dolls and a bit of Star Treatment from special guest Christina Applegate [Music] oh it's a blast I mean these girls are so wonderful and it's just it's a privilege to be a part a part of Pussycat Dolls were created a year ago as an opening act for Johnny Depp's Viper Room now death has been dancing every Thursday night
the Everlast kind of show where we [Music] swim yet we really don't strip and down to nothing and they're so beautiful and they're so talented and you know it's it's something that this town has needed this class and that's what this group is to be a part of it foreign show Grew From a set of sexy dance routines into a full-blown production and it quickly became a must-see act on the Sunset Strip now one Thursday night car meet bakar one of the dancers brought along one of her friends who just so happened to be Gwen
Stefani Gwen Stefani was in the audience watching in Oz the dolls twirled on stage in Black lingerie for a roaring audience Robin Anton knew this was her chance to grow the show even more so she approached Gwen and asked her if she wanted to perform as a guest Pussycat Doll no it's so hot it's great look at look at how cute look at geez so great tonight is a really really special night with one it really is it's so exciting and also because she I mean just the way that she performs and the way that
she sings the songs and just it's so awesome [Laughter] having a guest performer like Gwen Stefani on The Viper Room stage caused the already popular show to grab the attention of some of the most famous celebrities of the late 90s and very early 2000s Stars such as Carmen Electra Paris Hilton Kelly Osborne Brittany Murphy Pamela Anderson Britney Spears Kim Kardashian and Christina Aguilera would all make appearances in the show as guest Pussycat Dolls the first time I saw them actually was Gwen Stefani had done it at The Viper Room there and do ones that weren't
your own I just got done doing Moulin Rouge too Robin Anson was the choreographer of the Pussycat Dolls and originator it was all her ideas she makes the ideas for the costumes really talented girl she's great I was a guest performer on the show [Applause] whoa The Pussycat Dolls began to grow Beyond The Viper Room stage as they would begin to make cameos and television specials advertisements and even made a film debut in Charlie Angel's Full Throttle for seven years the Pussycat Dolls put on an impeccable show every single week but it was time for
the next big step Robin needed to figure out how she could turn her insanely popular burlesque show into an entire franchise and money making machine Gwen Stefani got in touch with Jimmy iveen the founder of Interscope which is a major record label and told him he has to come down to The Viper Room to check out the dolls Jimmy absolutely loved the group but he's in the business of music and the dolls at the time were primarily dancers however Jimmy had an idea that would convert the Pussycat doll's name from a burlesque residency to a
hit recording act that would strike gold in the Billboard charts now mind you this is back in 2002 at the time record labels were beginning to really struggle especially as file sharing service such as LimeWire and Napster were allowing people to consume music more freely the main Revenue source for record labels were album sales as they didn't take a cut from artists merchandising brand deals or touring but that was all about to change when Jimmy iveen and Robin Anton came together to create the first 360 deal in the industry Cactus was the first 360 deal
ever done in the music industry which is now standard that means that the the label and the brand Pussycat Dolls for in a partnership together and they basically would do all the deals I was a cast member okay um in the Pussycat Dolls yeah so yeah I would do what I was told sign up and uh get my leg up and and throw down as a doll so as far as like us being in the driving seat of what gigs we were doing and how much we were making I definitely weren't wasn't in those conversations
together they created Pussycat Dolls Incorporated where Robin Anton would own 50 of the company and Interscope would own the other or fifty percent now again this deal was just so different from industry standard first of all the owner of the corporation was not the artist or performers you know how like Miley Cyrus owns Smiley Miley Incorporated in this case it's basically the manager Robin and record label Interscope who have complete ownership and benefit the most monetarily second of all Interscope the record company was profiting 50 percent not just off of Music sales but brand deals
clothing lines touring private performances and the list just goes on and on however Pussycat Dolls the brand could make money Interscope and Robin were profiting this kind of deal with a record label means the actual artists and performers you know the very people the entire brand is tailored around those people they get paid substantially less as they are essentially just salaried employees or in this case cast members hired on by the company Pussycat Dolls Incorporated before going on the search for new Talent Interscope and Robin did sign a few dolls from the original burlesque Troop
car meet bakar professional dancer and rhythmic gymnast had been a part of the Pussycat Dolls since their start at The Viper Room in 1995 and she would be the very first doll signed into the recording group Jessica seta an actress professional cheerleader and Dancer would also be brought into the musical group Ashley Roberts a dancer who had also been featured in quite a few music videos for artists such as Aaron Carter and ping would also join the dolls the next doll signed Kimberly Wyatt met Robin Anton on the set of Nick Lachey's music video for
the song Shut up and it was then when Robin asked Kimberly if she would join the Pussycat Dolls as a dancer now that pussycat doll's Inc already had four dolls signed on Jimmy Irene and Robin would go on the hunt for their new cast members you know the pop stars that would take the Pussycat Dolls to the next level Jimmy had envisioned the girl group to be a cross between Moulin Rouge and the Spice Girls so they placed an ad for auditions that aired just once on MTV to find talented women who fit that mold
500 aspiring performers would show up to audition amongst them was Melody Thornton an incredible vocalist who had just graduated from high school when she saw the Pussycat Dolls ad flash across her TV screen melody was brought into the group to be one of the main vocalists as the label loved how her voice had this Christina aguilera-esque Vibe which was perfect for that burlesque meets pop star Fusion that they were going for melody was also the only Pussycat Doll to join the group with no dancing experience which is important to note for later in the story
Kaya Jones auditioned for the Pussycat Dolls when she was 19 years old she was brought in as a vocalist and Dancer however she would wind up leaving the group while the first album was being recorded but more on that later now the group just needed one last member the doll that would become the front woman Nicole Scherzinger was first discovered in 2000 on a singing competition show that aired on the WB called pop stars it was meant to perform in front of people I love to sing active dance it's just my life it's been my
whole life since I've been young I've always wanted to be Whitney Houston we'll always love you thank you the show landed her a spot in a girl group called Eden's Crush Nicole released an album with Eden's Crush in 2001 titled pop stars which actually performed pretty well but Nicole was still looking to jump ship to a new group this is when Jimmy iveen tried to get Nicole to join the Black Eyed Peas as they were looking for a new female vocalist which this was pretty Fergie But Nicole's boyfriend at the time didn't want her to
join the peas so she would wind up auditioning for the Pussycat Dolls instead Nicole already had a leg up because she had connections to Jimmy iveen and Interscope but despite that she did end up blowing the minds of label Executives and Robin Anton so much so that they would end up completely building the Pussycat Dolls around Nicole making her the face of the group with seven doll strong The Pussycat Dolls were born and they would immediately get to work recording music hi I'm Melody I'm Kimberly I'm Nicole hi I'm Ashley and I'm Jessica Jimmy iveen
would enlist the help of a r exec Ron fair to produce the Pussycat Dolls and turn them into a bona fide Supergirl Ron was perfect for the job as he had produced many huge hits for stars such as the Black Eyed Peas which we already have a full video on Mary J Blige pink and Christina Aguilera just to name a few I'm sitting there doing like literally like vocal retakes and the phone ones and it's the receptionist at the front of the studio saying Ron there's a phone call for you Jimmy iovine's calling for you
I don't really want Jimmy Ivan but why would he be calling for six Christina give me a second I gotta take this call and I so I start off by saying look I'm right in the middle of cutting ooze on holy night I was like Hey Ron it's Jimmy Ivey really because yeah look up you got a minute I got Rolling Stone right here it says in the magazine you force Christina Aguilera to sing Genie in a Bottle is that true I didn't know what what to say I thought it was I just didn't know
what to say I didn't know how to answer that question so it's like uh uh and he goes well if you could force her sing a number one record like Genie in a Bottle can you come and work for me and force all my artists to sing number ones and I said stuff to him like well you know Jimmy I'm a producer and because I was at RCA so for 10 years uh Jimmy and I Ruled The Roost starting with Lady Marmalade moving into Black Eyed Peas the Pussycat Dolls Vanessa Carlton Mary J Blige Keisha
Cole in 2004 the Pacifica dolls started off by recording songs for movies such as Shark Tale and shall we dance but the PCD project really began to transform into something truly special and unique when chairman of Universal Music Group Doug Morris suggested that the dolls record a song called don'tcha which was written by Busta Rhymes and CeeLo Green now don't show was an already moderately successful song already released by artist Tori alamaz don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me don't you that's how this song goes that's just a little hook a little
small piece of the song Who wound up signing over the rights to the song in order to be released from her record contract with universal don't you I'll tell you about it cause I'm gonna give my homegirl some credit I originally wrote that song for an artist that was up under me at the time my name was Tori alomase I guess I gotta say in all honesty she wasn't necessarily the don't you girl you know because tourism is not like that she's just a cool kind of easy kind of going girls well don't you was
kind of like going around it became this Renegade record without a face to it like everybody was like they were saying who is the don't you girl nobody knew I had anything to do with it so we got her signed it didn't go through the deal didn't go through all the way and um so they were like yo we love the record we love you so you know we want to stay in business with you we want this record like yo I got this idea hey guys send me a picture of the Pussycat Dolls and
I was like yeah so I had to really really explain to her like why I had to do it like we're still friends I think so the only difference between Tori's version of the song and the Pussycat Dolls is Busta Rhymes was featured on the Pussycat Dolls version now fast forward to early 2005 and don't show was released as the Pussycat Dolls debut single almost immediately don't show his booming from every radio in sight and became a worldwide Smash Hit topping the charts virtually everywhere now what makes the single choice so bizarre is that neither
Nicole or Melody actually liked the song the lyrics basically saying they are hotter and can steal a man wasn't really their cup of tea according to Melody how was the response when don't check came out it's funny both myself and a folding light went wrong really yeah wow oh my God I hate this anyways don't you was the debut single to an album that didn't yet exist according to an interview with Ron fair at the time of the singles release they hadn't even started recording needing to capitalize off of the success of donchia Ron said
they had to scramble and get in formation in a shocking 30 days they recorded the entire album for the Pussycat Dolls now it was around this time that Kaya Jones would be the first doll to leave the group at the time she chalked it up to not everyone being on the same page and that it was no longer fun but there was a much more Sinister side to the story that would come out over a decade later in one one or two cases where I pushed the button on which song and that would definitely be
in the Pussycat Dolls uh because after dog show was gigantic number one I felt like there's no possible way we're gonna have another dance record that's going to be as big it's just not going to happen yeah that doesn't it's just not just a Monster yeah just a monster so I thought if we switch it up and come with the sing-song mom friendly hallmarky greeting card kind of a song that it wouldn't ever be judged in the same light as the dance record and that if we could have that come as a as a second
single and it's a hit that would break the group and I was right and the song would stick with you now the Pussycat Dolls debut album titled PCD was released in September of 2005 producing massive hit after massive hit such as stick with you bleep featuring what I am and buttons featuring Snoop Dogg their debut album truly had a grip on the Year 2005 and it seems like everyone and their Grandma was singing don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me PCD the album debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 200
and has sold nearly 3 million copies making it an international commercial success now the dolls were put on an extensive PR tour to promote their album which included touring the World opening for the Black Eyed Peas and Christina Aguilera but they outgrew being an opening act very quickly and it wasn't long before they were headlining their very own world tour with stars such as Rihanna opening for them the dolls may have had the industry backing them however it was clear the general public was accepting every single PCD was throwing at them making the Pussycat Dolls
a cultural phenomenon and every song they released a Smash Hit [Music] Ashley Melanie Kimberly and Jessica better known [Music] ladies who conversely do it all music sexiest sex cat who are they folks out of five women in music foreign [Music] foreign The Pussycat Dolls had really cemented their name as one of the most successful girl groups of the early 2000s however people did start to notice a massive difference between PCD and other popular bands see in most pop groups even though there always tends to be a favorite or front runner of the group usually each
member has a chance to shine and showcase their vocal abilities but in the Pussycat Dolls Nicole was really the only one singing with some backing vocals from the other girls essentially it looked as if Kimberly Ashley carmet Jessica and Melody were just the backup dancers for Nicole what they're doing at the moment and the idea to have who is the front girl and then the girls behind it works it does work enough do you think they've got a good album but they have killed it but I don't know you never get the chance to hear
anybody else so you just assume she is apart from that girl that really annoys me that goes yeah all the time you never really hear anybody else they wanted to launch her as a solo artist in the beginning didn't they and that was basically why they brought the dancers in to make it experience but it has worked better that way and when you've got dancers like that foreign now the entire group being wrapped around Nicole was really starting to cause some tension behind the scenes each member of The Pussycat Dolls had so much talent but
they just weren't given the chance to show the world what they were capable of you can see the tension and frustration with the group dynamic come out on stage at times like when the Pussycat Dolls performed live at the American Music Awards in 2006. it was obvious they were all competing with each other vocally as they were wailing and yelling over one another in a very very chaotic and now Infamous performance so I think when you're on stage if you allow everybody to really shine I think that that gains a bigger audience and it relates
to so many more people and I know within that group there is so much talent that we'd only just sort of scratch the surface malady for example was brought into the group solely for her vocal abilities I was the only teenager in the group I had no experience in the industry at all it was a really really really difficult process for me because I got into the groups of things if I didn't do it I was I was going home I've seen the film class yes you are not a bad dancer I was able to
pull it off and that's it she was supposed to be a lead singer but Robin Anson and the record label never showcased her singing which was the entire reason she was initially a part of the group now Robin Anson did coach and train melody in regards to dancing but she didn't have the same experiences as the other dolls who had been dancing since they were toddlers so she would wind up struggling with some of the choreo and because of that the public would make fun of Melody for being the quote worst dancer of the group
she was really just set up to fail in the group because her strengths weren't being utilized and according to Melody this caused her to have a major identity crisis within the Pussycat Dolls everyone says oh my God you're a pro dancer it's going to be so easy for you when actually I'm primarily a singer I'd never taken a dance class A day in my life okay so I for some reason throughout my entire career I got into the Dolls When I Was 19. throughout my career it's just been like stuff thrown at me like here
figure this out figure that out dancing with these women who had been dancing since they were three years old and it's like you're opening for the Black Eyed Peas you're gonna do a 30 minute set figure it out over here out of the group according to a few of the PCD members aside from the obvious over emphasis on Nicole as the lead singer she allegedly also received special treatment and was overall treated better compared to the other dolls Nicole had a manager going into the Pussycat Dolls who would eventually become the entire group's manager so
she really had someone looking out for her and her best interests at all times it also appeared based on various interviews with the dolls that Nicole was kind of on her own Island and the other dolls basically didn't form a really strong connection or friendship with her I mean I did but it was with the dolls and it was a group I've never known me I was just asked yeah yeah and even in the group I wasn't allowed to talk it's amazing yeah we were told to be quiet I mean Nicole was a lot stronger
she's so stupid every now and then why would much say Batman did that not drive you nuts are you serious why do you think the band broke up you too they're still around they're still together they split everything down the middle they're all equal intermitted it's like wasn't that the case of you guys no you never kind of knew where she stood when it came to Nick like I think I often would say Nick the only thing I really wish from you is for you to really want to be here because I know I love
being here but I never I don't think any of us really felt that love and want back um quite often you do feel somewhat discarded yeah there was never there was no there's never an intention to create a relationship that felt like a a proper I don't know girl band but we were never really built as a girl band really it was a joint venture joint business venture that we were cast members of so who do you hold that against the the lead singer I don't know the the record label I don't know like head
of the dolls I don't know despite things being a little turbulent behind the scenes Robin Anson was still set on turning her Pussycats all dream into an entire Empire and she went full steam ahead launching PCD makeup a lingerie line a gaming hit at the Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas called the Pussycat Doll Lounge she wanted to open an entire Pussycat Dolls casino and in 2007 the reality show Pussycat Dolls present the search for the next doll aired on TV everything that we've done in this past eight weeks it's about finding your inner doll and
I truly believe that you have what I'm looking for and what I always look for in a pussycat doll is overall a true performer who can bring stardom to that stage [Music] congratulations [Music] Asia you are the next basically whoever won the show would join the Cuts dolls as the seventh member Asia natalano was the winner but after she performed alongside the Pussycat Dolls just a few times Asia opted not to join the group as the seventh member in pursuit of her solo career so the original six dolls started on their next album titled doll
domination in February of 2008 however in March of 2008 carmet Bashar the longest performing Pussycat Doll announced that she was leaving the group stating I wanted to be the first to tell you I am no longer with the Pussycat Dolls but we will always be sisters forever karmit left to produce the Zodiac show which was like the rock and roll version of Cirque du Soleil the five dolls went on to release doll domination in September of 2008 debuting as number four on the Billboard Hot 200. the album did not live up to its predecessor but
it did produce one of the Pussycat Dolls biggest and most memorable songs of all time when I grow up the dolls would perform this song at every award show and it seemed as though there was once again another Pussycat Doll Invasion and the album did have a few successful singles such as hush hush hush hush what you think about that and Jai Ho it had my personal second favorite song of all time Bottle Pop and there was even a song called out of this club featuring R Kelly however the song has since been pulled from
the album and streaming services after the Airing of Survivor driving R Kelly overall even with the success of when I grew up doll domination was not considered a commercial success due to poor album sales however the dolls would embark on the doll domination World Tour to promote the album Neo and Lady Gaga were announced as the main opening acts for the tour now the doll domination World Tour was the beginning of the end for the Pussycat Dolls they had been working non-stop for six years it was tour after tour leaving almost no room for sleeping
most of the dolls have since come out and said they sacrificed so much to be a doll but between the sheer amount of work and stress they were totally burnt out and in some cases sick no we actually uh weren't always close because we were together and we were you know they didn't even put sleep in our schedules so we were like a family we got on each other's nerves there weren't hotel rooms all the time you were sleeping on a bus sometimes you were sleeping in a van sometimes you were sleeping not sleeping sleeping
talking we had then sort of given up our lives for the Pussycat Dolls yeah so I broke what what is what is the purpose of all of this why am I sustaining this amount of stress and anxiety and you know what would like life look like without it now on top of being overworked the record label made it even more obvious that Melody Jessica Kimberly and Ashley were just considered cast members of the group see the song Jai Ho was listed as Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger this really upset Melody and in 2009 when the
Pacifica dolls were on stage opening for Britney Spears Circus tour Melody said what's up [Music] shout out to my family thank you so much for supporting me even if I'm not featured you know what I'm saying and I feel like it's my responsibility to say to all the little girls and boys in the house tonight than myself and Ashley Roberts are examples that you can do anything you want to do don't give up [Applause] by 2010 Kimberly and Ashley were seemingly fed up and ready to focus on their own solo careers and now with half
of the Pussycat Dolls gone the entire group decided to disband and focus on their own careers so I fractured my 11th rib and they had to send me home it was really tough for me all right so once your rib healed though were you were you able to rejoin the group what happened um you know what when I broke my rib it really made me take a closer look at what I wanted in my life and it wasn't to be a part of the Pussycat Dolls anymore it was to step out on my own and
not be in the shadow of Nicole anymore because there have been rumors that they have you guys have split up yeah a couple of girls have left the group okay why because they wanted to go and do their own projects and stuff and why did you let them do that I I mean I don't control them yes you do no I don't want to be quiet um it's up to them what they want to do and I just think whatever's gonna make them happy and that's that's their choice they come to you and they say
we want to go do our own thing which affects your brand no and you were just cool with it look we've been we've been at it for a strong six years and I mean when are you tired of those are together it's not easy I love it I'm grateful for it but I think that it's just time for people to kind of maybe do their own thing and that's what the other girls are wanting to do I'm like the only withstanding member so far which one are you closest to I don't want to say that
because one of the ones that I was close close to she kind of did something that disappointed me so despite every single Pussycat Doll leaving the group Robin Anton still wanted to continue on with her Pussycat Doll Empire Robin was upset that the dolls wanted to go solo and focus on their own careers for once but I want to be a solo yeah the whole solo thing every like like seriously I'm like if you if I hear one more girl saying they want to like break out as a solo artist yeah it is so incredibly
annoying yeah because nobody makes it now Robin fully intended to reinvent the group with Nicole Scherzinger by her side in a 2010 interview Robin stated that the Pussycat Dolls would live on with Nicole as the face of the group and they would just simply replace the dolls that left now this never ended up happening simply because the dolls were Irreplaceable even though they were always made to feel replaceable during their years with the dolls the creator of the Pussycat Dolls and everyone said hey when are they gonna come out with another album yeah they are
right and yes we're going to be doing another album you know some of our fans get a little upset when I say the yeah there's been a lot of incarnations of the Pussycat Dolls most of the girls wanted to go off and do their own thing and I totally supported that I was like you know what I get it you want to do that but you know this is my brand this is my baby and I gotta continue it and Cole and Nicole's you know she's really my partner on everything so so Nicole will be
there will be new girls bringing in new girls and really yeah I'm really excited now also in 2010 a movie did come out that was based on the Pussycats all Dance troupe and that movie was burlesque starring Christina Aguilera and Cher Robin Anson's brother Steve Anson actually wrote and directed the entire movie anyways Nicole would end up going on Dancing With the Stars in 2010 and would actually end up winning the entire season and by 2011 Nicole released her debut album killer love now back in 2007 when PCD was going strong Nicole scored her own
solo deal with Interscope and she even tried releasing an album titled her name is Nicole but the singles that did release didn't chart so the project was shelved I put so much into this album and it's different because I'm not um behind the name anymore it's my name it's me Nicole it was so hard what people didn't realize is the past two years I've been working on the album and the past two years is uh we've been working on launching The Pussycat Dolls so I was doing the two simultaneously so I did not sleep [Music]
Melody Ashley Jessica and Carmi would also all go on to release their own music now that all the dolls had branched out and started growing their own careers they started to really open up about the quote intolerable business practices of Pussycat Dolls Incorporated remember how earlier in the video we discussed how all the group members including Nicole were all just salaried employees or cast members of Pussycat Dolls Inc and how that would mean that they would be paid substantially less than other artists and performers well quite a few of the Dolls actually started to express
publicly that they were in fact not paid very well despite the Pussycat Dolls being a very lucrative franchise selling 15 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide plus if you also take into account the various world tours private performances merchandising and brand deals that the dolls were all a part of before the dolls released their first album according to Kaya Jones that member that left early on she stated that they were initially paid 500 a week each now this number obviously would have definitely gone up as the dolls became internationally successful but it does give
us an idea of a base point we also know around that same time in 2002 Interscope had signed the Black Eyed Peas and they paid them around a half a million dollars as their base point so in comparison the dolls even from the start were paid substantially less than other artists that were signed on around the same time did you make any money out of it no not a whole lot no no not a whole lot no I just heard what is it fifteen thousand fifteen million records and then and did they I have to
ask because yeah did they put you on a wage yes yeah that's what I thought so everybody would think that you would be getting a percentage of the record sales for the entirety of the Dolls as a recording group um I definitely should be in a different tax bracket let's just be honest you know for everything that I've put into the group for everything that I've contributed and helped to get it to since Nicole was a lead singer she would have been paid a little bit differently than the other dolls because of things like royalties
but even so she was still just an employee of PCD Inc and was also more than likely paid nowhere near the amount that she should have been in 2012 Nicole herself opened up about being the main vocalist of the group in her VH1 Behind the Music special the dolls have been together for nearly five years but now Nicole Scherzinger is sharing another well-kept secret she says that on the doll Studio albums almost all of the tracks including the background vocals were all her own I love those girls I love my sisters but people don't even
know the story they have no idea I was in Center because I was singing I was the one singing oh man man oh man I hope I don't get in trouble for the stuff that I say because I never really talked about it but I'll never forget I finished the album PCD and Ron and I brought the girls into the studio and we played it for them it was the first time they'd ever heard the music [Music] do you understand what I'm saying we played the album for the Pussycat Dolls it's the first time they
ever heard the songs melody was saying a bit here and there but the records were with Nicole they don't care with with the exception of an occasional Adler but there were Nicole they were created with her probably did 95 of the album former group members agreed that Nicole carried a majority of the weight when it came to singing on the album but this wasn't because they weren't hard working or because they didn't want to sing it was just simply the structure that was set in place by the business side of things Nicole did have a
lot of pressure put on her during her stunt with PCD and she did open up about how those years were a pretty dark time for her as she was struggling with an ed she stated every time I had a second to be alone I was doing something to myself you get like blisters on your hands or scars on your hands and I try to hide those but I think the girls could tell us that disease that she had she kept that from us I just hated myself I was in a group and I never felt
so alone in my life I never did drugs but hurting myself was my addiction there was nothing left to do get help or Die the music is what saved me I think it's safe to say that all of the members in the group really did struggle and have a dark time during their stand with the Pussycat Dolls it was a money making machine and they essentially were the cash cows fast forward to 2017 there was rumors that the Pussycat Dolls would be reuniting and that's when Kaya Jones would make some shocking allegations about the Pussycat
Dolls on Twitter she tweeted out my truth I wasn't in a girl group I was an institution Ring We happened to sing and be famous while everyone who owned us made the money an official Pussycat Doll statement was put out denying these claims in a nutshell the statement said that the Pussycat Doll stands for women empowerment and that if Kaya experienced something that they were unaware of that they fully encouraged her to get help and that they would be there to support her Robin Anton the creator of the Pussycat Doll spoke to the blast saying
that the allegations are disgusting ridiculous lies there would end up being a lawsuit between Robin Anton and the Publishers of Daily Mail over these allegations there's a lot to the story that we can't fully cover here so BJ and I get into this whole ordeal on our new channel study break so be sure to check that out anyways fans of the Pussycat Dolls were always hopeful for a reunion and Through the Years there were plenty of rumors that the group might actually get back together most of the former dolls said that they would absolutely reunite
the timing just had to be right Melly said that she would also return but there needed to be more equality and respect for each other as women and in 2019 The Pussycat Dolls shocked the world when they announced that they were actually going to be reuniting [Music] you have a world exclusive announcement to make it's yeah this is PR this is two words major right now okay two syllables have you heard and the dolls are getting back together and we're here to announce our reunion tour [Applause] it's been 10 years really since we've been all
seven years in a room like this together so who's who kind of by push for it whose idea was it all of ours but Robin Anson for sure yeah Robin's been wanting this to happen for years and we and it's taken a while to get us out of this place but we're all here now and we're excited to be here melody was the only doll that was obviously missing from this announcement it's what they want to do is create a new narrative if that is what they're doing they're releasing new music I think you know
I need my space and they need theirs not in a negative way have you had a chance to congratulate one another on the success of react or the the dropping of lioness size I think we're all taking space at the moment and it's okay like you were invited to be a part of the the Revival and ultimately it was your decision I definitely talked about it we kicked around the idea at the end of it you know it was it was me yeah because I had people on my team saying you know I'd hate for
you to miss you know miss out on on a cash grab or an opportunity yeah I don't I'm so sorry I don't want to live my life you know on a cash grab days after announcing the Pussycat Doll reunion the dolls appeared on stage together for the first time in nearly a decade on the finale of the UK X Factor performing their biggest hits and their very new song titled react Kimberly actually had to have a medic on standby during this performance because she had just had a C-section seven weeks prior the performance also received
419 off-com complaints from disgruntled parents saying the performance was quote disrespectful and shameful for a family show but despite the complaints of a few people the performance got fans very excited to purchase their tickets to the Pussycat Doll reunion World Tour that was set to kick off in 2020. now 2020 rolled around and as we all know the world was turned upside down to say the least so the tour would be postponed but it was supposed to be rescheduled when it was safe to do so fast forward to September of 2021 it was reported that
Robin Anton was suing Nicole Scherzinger now this is a doozy of a legal battle so BJ from BJ investigates is going to do an entire breakdown on this lawsuit so be sure to check that video out as well but to summarize there was a short form agreement that was signed by the members that would be participating in the tour Robin Anton was going to receive 12.5 percent of the net profits from the tour Ashley Kimberly and Jessica would also each receive 12.5 percent car meat would receive 5 and Nicole was set to receive a 32.5
percent share now in addition to the Tor profit Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Anton were going to start a business venture called PCD worldwide Nicole was going to get a 49 share in that company and Robin was going to get 51 the new company PCD worldwide was going to be the New Pussycat Dolls Incorporated basically moving forward PCD worldwide would manage the Pussycat doll's brand and any projects that come from it Nicole was awarded her 49 share in exchange for her participation in the world tour now fast forward to April of 2021 according to the court
documents Nicole wanted to renegotiate the contract to increase her share in PCD worldwide to 75 or she wouldn't participate in the tour Robin Anton refused and described Nicole's request as extortion saying Nicole is contractually obligated to perform now according to Nicole's lawyer and her 2022 cross-complaint it turns out Live Nation gave Robin Anton six hundred thousand dollars as an investment in the tour and this was prior to Nicole's involvement Nicole's lawyer is alleging that Robin traded Nicole's name to secure this investment and she did so without Nicole's consent according to the complaint Robin then misused
the investment funds and when Nicole did agree to do the tour she had to pay 163 thousand dollars of her own money in expenses quo expenses which the money Anton took or diverted could have been used to pay and to this day have not been reimbursed while Robin and Nicole are going back and forth in the legal system the other members who are also participating in this tour they're now in this like stage of limbo not really knowing what to say when they are asked when the reunion tour is happening listen are they ever going
to get back together can you sort that out please Lorraine honey you tell me because I'm wondering the same question because we thought it might happen and then you know covet happened and everything else gets put on Ice no but it would be rather lovely I hope so get it sorted [Music] all of a sudden in January of 2022 Nicole posted Instagram that the tour had been canceled due to the ever-evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic but the crazy thing about this post is that none of the other dolls had any idea that the tour was
canceled they found out with the rest of the world on Instagram so of course they were upset for them it felt like a slap in the face to find out the way that they did Carmi and Jessica released a joint statement they stated that they were disappointed as they were never officially informed of the tour cancellation that they love their fans and this was just not the outcome they were hoping for there has been anger between somebody wanting more than somebody else and you're there the whole time it's like I feel like I'm in a
divorce of like sitting as a child just looking at these two people fighting so they both have nice big percentages of the brand I felt like we did a lot of negotiations and I definitely sort of had to bite my tongue as I signed that page because for me it was more about the belief in what we were going to build together and this hope to really celebrate everybody in the group and then to see that sort of we haven't taken away with the legal battle between Nicole and Robin that is still ongoing and honestly
could continue to go on for years it does appear that this is the official end of the Pussycat Dolls which is really sad for not just the fans that purchase tickets and we're so excited to see this tour but the other members of the group who were genuinely so excited to perform for the world again so after failed attempts after a failed attempt it would appear that Robin Anson had finally given up on her dream of the Pussycat Dolls what started as a burlesque group in the 90s completely transformed into something Kimberly Ashley Melody Jessica
carmet Nicole and Robin could have never imagined from their first singles it's their countless spin-off groups and TV shows Robin Anson truly created a Pussycat Dolls Dynasty a dynasty seemingly built on her main tactic Fear The Pussycat Dolls were able to work so hard because they each felt they were replaceable and they were constantly running on a Non-Stop treadmill to please Robin Hansen generating more success for record labels and rocketing countless dolls to the top of the Billboard charts but at what cost like you saw in the BJ investigates video on Robin and Nicole's lawsuit
Nicole was truly the only ever Irreplaceable doll and like you saw in the secret society video on my new channel Robin would even challenge that in 2012 when she would attempt to put an all-new group of the Pussycat Dolls together without Nicole yet one of those dolls time of the group would end in tragedy what about what we saw in study break about Kaya Jones recounting her own personal traumatic Nightmares From the group Robin Anson seemingly didn't care who she needed to step on to get to the top and that resulted in the current state
of the Pussycat Dolls the group while extremely high energy and successful was just not sustainable we will never know what that final reunions were would have entailed but on the bright side normally situations like this do end in complete project cancellation so Pussycat Doll fans can always hold on to their final hurray in the form of the music video react and even though you aren't likely to see the Pussycat Dolls live anytime soon the world can still see what a modern day vision of the mega 2000 supergroup would truly entail and I guess it just
goes to show to quote the most Pro song of Our Generation be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it [Music]
