Whatever Happened To 3LW?
Remember 3LW? Even if your recollections of the R&B girl group are foggy, as soon as you hear the first guitar riff of their hit "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)," you might find yourself singing right along to familiar lyrics stored somewhere deep inside your brain. The music video, which was uploaded to YouTube long after the group's heyday, has 17 million views and will be familiar to many. But what have original group members Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Naturi Naughton been up to since the band was active in the early 2000s?
Naughton left the band after an epic food fight
The original lineup of 3LW was shaken up in 2002 when Naturi Naughton left (or rather, was forced out of) the group. While she told MTV News at the time that 3LW's management was the cause behind growing tensions that caused the split, a memorable scene that could have been right out of a high school movie immediately preceded Naughton's exit: a food fight.
The three members of the band picked up food from KFC to eat. Then, during a heated argument, member Kiely Williams threw her food — which, as Naughton told Wendy Williams during her radio show, was "one of those big dinner plates with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and, um, chicken, you know, the fried chicken" — at Naughton's face. Naughton said her eyes were watering as the hot food spilled on her, traveling "all over my hair, my face, down my clothes." And that was the moment she officially decided to leave.
Bailon and Williams joined another girl group, the Cheetah Girls
While 3LW was still together (but after Naturi Naughton had left the group), original members Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams were one-half of the four-person girl group the Cheetah Girls along with Raven-Symone and Sabrina Bryan.
The group was formed for a 2003 Disney movie of the same name, which featured original music performed by the cast. According to the Disney website, where you can still buy the DVD!, here's the synopsis: "As The Cheetah Girls, four New York teens, are gearing up to rehearse for the school talent competition, they're discovered by famous record producer Jackal Johnson. But Jackal wants to remake them into something they're not. Ultimately, the path to stardom challenges their friendship and the girls must find a way to come together in order to achieve their dreams."
The movie took on a life of its own, to the surprise of the cast. In 2016 Bailon admitted on The Real (via E! News), "I did not think The Cheetah Girls was going to be a hit," and said she's too embarrassed to let her husband watch it.
Naughton broke out as an actor after playing Lil' Kim in a movie
In 2009, Naughton made waves with her portrayal of rapper Lil' Kim in Notorious, the biopic about the Notorious B.I.G. Naughton had to audition five times for the role, but was ultimately able to impress the producers after a shaky first attempt at rapping for them.
While Naughton practiced her rhymes and was able to impress gatekeepers, Lil' Kim herself was reportedly not a fan of the performance. When asked by interviewer Marc Lamont Hill (via Vibe) about the rumors of the real-life rapper throwing shade, Naughton responded, "All I know is I had the pleasure and honor of playing Lil' Kim in the film Notorious. My thing is, I was a first-time actress in a film, this was the beginning of my career. I was a little black girl from Jersey, why not uplift and support that? I've always appreciated and loved her work and wish her nothing but the best."
Naughton currently stars on the Starz series Power
In addition to her role in Notorious, premium cable viewers can view Naughton on the Starz show Power. The series, which is produced by 50 Cent, is about a drug dealer who dreams of going legit. Naughton has played the protagonist's wife, Tasha, since the premiere. As of 2017, the show has aired four seasons and has been renewed for a fifth. The show was the top drama on the network as of 2017 and in the same year Naughton won an NAACP Image Award for her work on the show.
Bailon feuded with Kim Kardashian
For her part, Bailon at one point dated Rob Kardashian and even appeared in episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians (ever heard of it?). After the pair broke up, however, Bailon told Latina magazine, "To be stuck with that Kardashian label, that was so hurtful to me and to my career. I probably realized that too late — not that it would've affected my decisions in terms of who I dated, but it would've affected my decision to appear on the show."
Wow, to cross the Kardashians in print is certainly brave. Kim responded to Bailon's 2014 cover interview in a series of tweets, writing, "Funny how she says being with a Kardashian hurt her career yet the only reason she has this article is bc she is talking about a Kardashian," followed by, "#LetItGoooooLetItGoooooo (FROZEN VOICE)" and finally, "So sad when people try to kick my brother when he is down #FamilyForever."
Bailon cohosts a talk show called The Real
Most recently, Bailon can be found on TV as one of the co-hosts of The Real. The syndicated talk show airs on BET, the CW, and online each weekday. Bailon and co-stars Loni Love, Tamera Mowry-Housley, and Jeannie Mai discuss all kinds of topics including current events, beauty, style, and love. If you're in LA, you can even snag a ticket to a taping.
Williams is expecting a baby
While Williams isn't on TV at the moment (though she appears in many web videos), she did recently announce some big news in her personal life: she's pregnant. Williams shared an Instagram photo in October 2017 of a pair of tiny ballet shoes. She wrote in the caption, "Oh, baby! It's a girl! Our tiny dancer will make her debut March 2018!" The father is Williams' husband, Brandon "BJ" Cox, who she married in 2016.
Bailon married gospel singer Israel Houghton
All that Kardashian drama aside, Bailon married her longtime boyfriend and super longtime friend Israel Houghton in November 2016. According to People, Bailon and the gospel singer wed in Paris at Hotel Plaza Athénée. It was a small wedding with approximately 70 guests, including Bailon's co-hosts from The Real. There was a six-tier red velvet cake and pizza slices served at midnight. Sounds romantic and delicious. Bailon, who now often uses the last name Houghton, shared a one-year anniversary photo on Instagram of the two dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Naughton has a baby girl
In July 2017, Naughton gave birth to her first child, a baby girl. According to People, the father is her longtime boyfriend Ben. The pair got ready for the birth of their baby with an "Afro-centric" baby shower that Naughton said included "tribal decor" and nods to her "Caribbean roots." The theme was "It Takes A Village," a phrase that was illustrated on a large backdrop. While Naturi so far hasn't shared photos of her little bub on Instagram, she shared plenty of pics of her baby bump in the months leading up to the birth.
Bailon and Naughton made amends
Many years after Naughton left 3LW after the food fight to end all food fights, she and former member Bailon made up. When Naughton appeared on Bailon's talk show The Real, the pair revealed that years earlier at an Us Weekly party, the two were able to talk privately and clear up any ill will. (While Bailon isn't the one who threw food at Naughton, she was one of the original members who stayed in the group after Naughton was pushed out.)
Bailon said she apologized to Naughton for what happened when they were teenagers, explaining, "There was a lot that went on in that time that now looking back is just like, we were so young and it was so crazy, and that I genuinely from the bottom of my heart never meant any harm towards you."
Naughton accepted the apology and talked about the importance of young women in the entertainment industry coming together. She declared, "At the end of the day, we have to love and support each other."