Atlanta Judge Rules That Pebbles Can Continue Lawsuit Against TLC & Viacom for “CrazySexyCool” movie

Words by Jimmy Tee

Do you remember how TLC’s “CrazySexyCool” movie on VH1 immediately turned Pebbles into a national pariah and subjected her all kinds of social media blowback? Well, it turns out that Pebbles has not forgotten – and she still wants to tear off chunks of TLC’s flesh three years later.

Surviving TLC members Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas are the object of Perry “Pebbles” Reid’s wrath and Pebbles plans to exact revenge as a judge has ruled that she can carry on with her $40 million lawsuit against TLC and especially Viacom, the parent company of VH1 that showed the controversial bio-drama.

According to her camp and her family members, Reid went volcanic after “CrazySexyCool” portrayed Reid as a blood-sucking, money-grubbing parasite who exploited the unpolished TLC group for her own selfish greed. A Fulton County federal judge has ruled that Pebbles can carry on with her lawsuit against Viacom for defamation.

Pebble’s lawyer, Stacey Godfrey Evans, explained to Page Six, “We are thrilled with this major win against Viacom and look forward to justice. Ms. Reid worked hard to ensdure the success of TLC, and she is ready to present that story to a jury. The negative portrayal of her in the TLC movie is simply not the truth.”

Viacom had tried to intercept the lawsuit by filing a motion last year stating that Reid had no case and sought to dismiss it, but the judge ruled against it.

Reid, who scored several monster hits of her own as a singer in the late 1980s, including “Girlfriend,” “Mercedes Boy,” and “Giving You the Benefit,” transitioned more into a managerial role and founded her production company Pebbitone. Reid hit the figurative and literal jackpot on her first try when she managed TLC (with the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes) as they went on to become the best-selling female act of all time through hits “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Red Light Special,” “Creep,” “Waterfalls,” and “Scrubs.”

But there were rumblings of internal strife and financial disaster when TLC told the media backstage at the Grammys that they were broke and had to file for bankruptcy. Later, in the famous “Behind the Scenes” on VH1, TLC group members aimed their ire at Reid and pretty much blamed her for exploiting them. In the film “CrazySexyCool” Reid is shown only paying the group $25 a week and stiffing them on the massive profits from the album, all of which Reid denies.

Viacom tried to counter and rationalize showing the film by saying “CrazySexyCool” was just a docudrama told from the perspectives of the members of TLC.

“We are confident that our First Amendment rights to tell this story will ultimately be vindicated although we are disappointed that the court chose not to dismiss the entire case on summary judgement,” said Evans.