Fifth Harmony’s Ally Brooke Says She Experienced ‘Mental and Verbal Abuse’ When She Was In the Band

via Getty Images

At the peak of their fame, fans saw Fifth Harmony as five young women who were best friends. We now know that that was not the case. Since their breakup, former Fifth Harmony members have come clean about the drama and toxicity behind the scenes. The latest former member to speak out is Ally Brooke.

You may remember Ally Brooke (née Hernandez) as the Mexicana that Simon Cowell considered the “glue that held the group together.” Unfortunately, the pressure of being the peacemaker was no easy task for Ally.

In a recent episode of her new podcast The Ally Brooke Show, Ally Brooke revealed that she “didn’t enjoy” her time in Fifth Harmony. “We will be in the history books. That’s pretty incredible. We had hits, such anthems and great songs,” she said. “But just being honest, because I feel like having my own show calls for me to just be real and open with you guys…I hate saying this. My time in Fifth Harmony, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t love it.”

Ally Brooke continued: “It was hard because there was so much going on — so much behind-the-scenes, so much toxicity, so much abuse, so much abuse of power, so much mental abuse, verbal abuse. It’s horrible, and to me it’s a shame, because we were so big. I should have enjoyed myself more. I did so much for the group.”

This isn’t the first time former Fifth Harmony band members have come out and said that the years they spent in the mega-band were traumatic.

In October, Lauren Jauregui said that her time in Fifth Harmony was “traumatizing“. Likewise, Normani has said she was “scarred” from her time in the group–mostly from racist trolls who considered themselves fans of Camilla Cabello. Cabello fans sent Normani “Photoshopped images of her being lynched” and death threats.

Ally Brooke seems to imply that it wasn’t just the pressure of fame, but the group dynamics that were so toxic. “It was tough because I didn’t trust anybody around me, a lot of people that were in our circle,” she said. “It really damaged me for quite some time, and for quite a while. I don’t want to hang onto the negative, but I have to be honest,”

Ultimately, Ally Brooke is grateful for the experience overall. “It changed my life,” she said. It’s a balance of being grateful but also being okay with the fact that things were not okay for me.”