It’s not just John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s “Love Story” that is having a ’90s revival. The game of musical chairs among girl groups has become mainstream, and they’re not playing games.
En Vogue is gearing up for Salt-n-Pepa and TLC’s “It’s Iconic” tour, raking in dirt old and new.
Original members of En Vogue, Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, and Maxine Jones, recently rejoined the group, with the exception of longtime member Lorna Bennett, who performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November and subsequently left the group.
To add insult to injury, we hear the group did not contact Bennett before or after the high-profile diss.
Despite being part of the group for more than 20 years, a source familiar with the situation said the relationship between the women and Bennett was more like a business than a sisterhood. “They were friendly, but they were really just going to work and then going home or to their respective places,” the source said.
In later years, they reportedly communicated through their lawyers.
Sources portray En Vogue as Ellis and Herron versus the person they embraced.
Dawn Robinson, a former original member of En Vogue, intervened in the dispute and defended Bennett, saying she could relate to the group’s disdain.
“They’re bullies, telling us who can stay and who can’t stay,” Robinson said in a video posted to his YouTube channel on Monday.
“They throw people away like washcloths… En Vogue can’t keep its members around to save their lives,” she said.
Bennett also defends himself.
Current members recently spoke with People magazine and Ellis insisted that leaving was Bennett’s choice, saying, “She could be here. She chose not to be here.”
Ellis also claimed that she found out on social media that she had left the group. “The next thing we know, it’s on social media that she’s gone, she’s gone,” Ellis said.
Bennett took to his keyboard to address “inaccuracies” regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure from the group, suggesting that his lawyer had walked away from contract negotiations.
“This statement is misleading and does not represent what actually happened,” she said on social media. “My lawyer received formal notice that the contract they were offering was withdrawn on November 11th.”
Bennett also said that she was not informed of RHOF’s performance in advance. “The suggestion that I declined to participate because of prior commitments is not accurate,” she said.
“My resignation was not the result of any disagreement over any particular performance,” Bennett further explained. “For several months, our legal team has been working on contract negotiations. Ultimately, the terms offered were not consistent with my values or the level of mutual respect in our relationship,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Robinson has called on Jones to rejoin the group this November.
“She obviously loves abuse,” Robinson said in the video.
Robinson also recalled when the group sued Jones in 2012 for unauthorized use of the name En Vogue, saying, “I remember when Maxine was sued by Cindy and Terry years ago. She said she’d never work with those Skunks again. Those were her words. So it’s interesting to see her come back and work with those Skunks now.”
Our stakeholders are telling us that they want women to come together and have a moment of healing in public, but they will never get it.
In Robinson’s case, “I don’t want to go back to this situation,” she said.
Her message to Bennett was to not let the group’s “mean, dangerous and unspeakable acts rob you of your love and trust in others.”
Representatives for En Vogue and Bennett did not return calls.
