A new generation of fans might mostly recognize Nicole Scherzinger for her various leadership stints on competition shows like X Factor and The Masked Singer, the latter of which is comprised of guessing the famous celebrity under the singing costume character. But for old heads like me, you’d know her from the early 2000s all-girl group, The Pussycat Dolls, who skyrocketed to pop fame with a number of hit singles The core five disbanded in 2010, but apparently, Scherzinger was in the midst of reuniting with her former group mates for a reunion tour this year. But now, the future of it now looks uncertain because Scherzinger was hit with a lawsuit concerning a dispute over ownership and revenue.
Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin is suing Nicole Scherzinger for supposedly going back on a previous agreement, according to court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. She seems to claim that their deal was that Scherzinger would get 49 percent of the revenue from the scheduled Pussycat Dolls reunion tour. Evidently, Scherzinger now “refuses to participate” and wants to “renegotiate the terms.” In fact, she reportedly wants 75% ownership before she will agree to continue with the reunion.
The lawsuit stipulates that the dispute is holding up the Pussycat Dolls reunion tour dates from being solidified. Nevertheless, Live Nation (a company that manages live entertainment ticket sales) is still awaiting a return on the $600,000 investment it fronted for the tour. The Masked Singer’s Nicole Scherzinger is now faced with the legal situation, as a result.
The ongoing dispute with Nicole Scherzinger is reminiscent of the drama surrounding the final days of The Pussycat Dolls. In late 2007, Scherzinger actually attempted to go the solo route, but low record sales put the kibosh on the endeavor. A few years later, she was back again with the group on their Doll Domination tour. She was simultaneously asked to rework the “Jai Ho” song from Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire into a pop song, which created conflict amongst the remaining group. They eventually disbanded over the ordeal, but not too long after Scherzinger was headlining the group for a brief period with all new members.
Despite her frequent Pussycat Dolls problems, Nicole Scherzinger has probably had the most successful career out of all of the members. She has mentored throughout the years on The X Factor and has been a panelist on The Masked Singer since 2019, the latter of which she’ll be returning to for the upcoming sixth season. In 2014, she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her supporting part on the musical revival of Cats. She also has had voice-acting roles in the animated films Moana and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Like many industries, COVID-19 restrictions have cost television, film, and musical tour productions dearly. While efforts are being made to move out of the money-draining situation in the safest way possible, it appears that Nicole Scherzinger is now in a situation of her own. (And not The Masked Singer’s Grandpa Monster kind…)
