Pussycat Dolls Singer Defends Political Stance After Tour Exclusion

Former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta has defended her political views after being excluded from the girl group’s much-awaited reunion tour, claiming her support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made her a “liability” to the project. The 43-year-old singer was conspicuously missing from the PCD Forever Tour announcement in March, which featured only three original members — Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts — whilst Sutta, Carmit Bachar and Melody Thornton were excluded entirely. Speaking on “The Maverick Approach” podcast on 22 March, Sutta revealed she had been caught off guard by the reunion and alleged that her association with Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign, coupled with her health-related campaigning following her own health challenges, had effectively sidelined her from the comeback.

The Gathering That Excluded Attendees Out

The Pussycat Dolls’ reveal of their PCD Forever Tour in March came as a shock to a number of original members who were clearly excluded from the lineup. Sutta revealed that neither she, Bachar nor Thornton got advance notice of the reunion, learning about it instead through rumours and media reports. She stated she attempted multiple times to reach out to founder Robin Antin before the news went public, only succeeding in reach the choreographer on the night the tour was announced. “None of us were called. None of us were told about anything,” Sutta explained. “In fact, we were caught off guard.”/p

The removal from consideration proved particularly painful for Sutta given her emotional connection to the group’s legacy. When Scherzinger called the following day after the official announcement, Sutta was too hurt to answer the phone. While acknowledging genuine admiration for Scherzinger’s recent Tony Award win for her role in “Sunset Boulevard,” Sutta believed the manner of her exclusion revealed something troubling about the group’s priorities. “The way they did this just showed me exactly why I’m not in the group,” she said, suggesting that the manner of the reunion reflected deeper issues in the group’s internal workings and decision-making process.

• Sutta, Bachar and Thornton excluded from PCD Forever Tour
• Three members chosen: Scherzinger, Wyatt and Roberts only
• No prior notice communicated to excluded original members
• Sutta described reunion as a “cash grab” project

Political Beliefs and Professional Consequences

Sutta has become increasingly vocal about her support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., especially throughout his 2024 presidential campaign. She went to campaign rallies, frequently shared content on social media and delivered speeches at events, publicly aligning herself with Kennedy’s platform. However, she thinks this political stance may have directly contributed in her removal from the reunion tour. In her podcast appearance, Sutta suggested that her connection to Kennedy—and by extension, the broader political movement he represents—made her problematic for the group. “I align with Bobby Kennedy, which is aligning with MAGA,” she stated, though she explained her support was based on particular policies rather than blanket endorsement of any political party.

The singer described the reunion as essentially a commercial venture, suggesting that commercial considerations overrode any dedication to inclusion or recognising all original members. “It’s a cash grab. I mean, come on. Let’s keep it real, right?” Sutta remarked candidly. She voiced concern that her political views seemed to have been deemed incompatible with the group’s brand image or commercial interests. Despite her reservations about certain aspects of modern politics, Sutta insisted that her main reason for backing Kennedy stemmed from advocacy for those affected by vaccine-related health concerns—a cause profoundly personal to her own medical journey.

Health Campaigning as Political Driver

Sutta’s political involvement is intrinsically linked to her own medical difficulties. In the past few years, she has been candid regarding experiencing serious ongoing health issues that she links to a COVID-19 vaccine received in 2021. She has also made clear that she is managing a neurological condition, challenges that have profoundly shaped her beliefs and advocacy aims. These medical circumstances prompted her to engage in communities focused on vaccine safety and personal health freedom, ultimately drawing her towards Kennedy’s campaign, which emphasised these issues.

For Sutta, backing Kennedy offered a viable means to amplify the voices of those in the community of vaccine-injured individuals who she felt had been overlooked by conventional media narratives. “We didn’t have a pathway for the vaccine-injured community to get help without him,” she declared, underlining that her political alignment was motivated by personal circumstance rather than party politics. This health activism has become fundamental to her public profile, yet it seems to have created professional separation between herself and ex-bandmates who may have preferred to steer clear of connection with such controversial health controversies.

Maintaining Firm Stances on Contentious Issues

Despite the career consequences from her political stance, Sutta has demonstrated no inclination to backing down from her convictions. She remains steadfast in her backing of Kennedy and the initiatives he promoted during his 2024 campaign for president, showing up at events, regularly sharing content on social media and speaking publicly about concerns regarding vaccine safety. Rather than distancing herself from these positions to protect her professional future, Sutta has continued to advocate openly for what she believes in, even as it seems to have cost her a highly profitable reunion opportunity with one of her ex-group’s most significant projects.

Sutta’s unwillingness to soften her position reflects a fundamental divide in modern entertainment industry, where creative professionals’ personal views more frequently overlap with market appeal. She has recognised the potential professional consequences of her activism, yet seems committed to prioritise her principles over commercial approval. Her open recognition that alignment with Kennedy’s positions may be interpreted as backing “MAGA” politics reveals her recognition of how her position is perceived, whilst at the same time declining to express regret about or significantly change her open promotion on health issues that she views as personally important.

• Sutta attended multiple Kennedy campaign events throughout 2024’s presidential election
• She has maintained a prominent online platform promoting vaccine safety advocacy
• The artist continues discussing openly about her personal health struggles publicly
• Sutta recognises her views could be seen as politically controversial
• She places emphasis on health advocacy ahead of possible career reconciliation prospects

A Professional Path Beyond the Group

Whilst the reunion tour exclusion marks a notable career disappointment, Sutta has maintained an active career separate from the Pussycat Dolls across the previous two decades. The singer has pursued solo projects, media appearances and ongoing performance commitments that have enabled her to maintain her presence in the entertainment industry. Her work as a entertainer and public presence has gone considerably further than the vocal group that originally launched her career, showcasing her capacity to establish a distinct professional identity separate from the ensemble that established her reputation.

Looking ahead, Sutta appears set to continue her campaigning efforts and artistic projects independent of the reunion tour’s outcome. Her readiness to speak openly about her principles, whilst certainly costly in terms of band reunion, has also positioned her as an outspoken voice on health and social matters within entertainment sectors. Whether through songwriting, activism or public speaking, Sutta seems resolved to maintain her self-determination and seek out opportunities consistent with her principles rather than abandon her values for the sake of commercial reunion.