Former Pussycat Doll Member Claims Girl Group Was 'Prostitution Ring', Founder Denies Claims

Kaya Jones, a former member of the mid-'00s girl group The Pussycat Dolls, took to Twitter on Friday to allege that the group was an elaborate front for forced sexual encounters, drug use, and emotional abuse:

Jones was a member of the group from 2003 to 2005. The group was initially started in 1995 as a burlesque troupe under the direction of choreographer Robin Antin. During that time, both Christina Applegate and Carmen Electra were among its performers. In 2003, Antin negotiated a record deal with Interscope Geffen A&M Records and morphed the burlesque group into a full music brand. Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt were the only original members to remain a part of the troupe; Jones was recruited for the new group along with Nicole Scherzinger and Melody Thornton. Jones left the group prior to the release of PCD, their first album.

In response to Jones' accusations, Antin spoke to The Blast and called them "disgusting, ridiculous lies,” adding that Jones is “clearly looking for her 15 minutes.” She also claims Jones was only ever "on a trial" with the group and was never an official member.

Jones' mention of suicide is seemingly a reference to Simone Battle, a performer who was initially part of the re-branded, 2010 version of the Pussycat Dolls. Antin would backtrack on this plan, deciding instead to form a new group called G.R.L with those members. Battle died by suicide in 2014.

Jones concluded her statement by citing the multiple times she had tried to make the story public, only to see it lose traction. Bringing it to the public now, Jones joins a long list of women from creative industries who are stepping forward with allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The outpouring of accusations follow a bombshell New York Times article that detailed producer Harvey Weinstein's decades-long history of alleged sexual abuse.