Naturi Naughton-Lewis reveals she was blocked from ‘The Cheetah Girls,’ reconnects with Adrienne Bailon, and hints at a 3LW reunion

The actress and singer says forgiveness helped her heal from the trauma of her early music career and she’s finally open to celebrating her 3LW past.

Naturi Naughton-Lewis is opening up about one of the most painful chapters of her early career, and how she’s finally found peace through forgiveness and reconnection.

During a candid conversation on SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio, the “Power” and “Queens” star reflected on her complicated history with her former girl group 3LW, her long-awaited reconciliation with Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, and the shocking revelation that she was initially supposed to star in Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls.”

“Yeah, I do [feel healed],” Naughton-Lewis said. “One of the things that was helpful is reconnecting with Adrienne. You know, I love her… We reconnected in the last few years and actually genuinely are growing a friendship coming out of that troublesome time.”

She explained that the two met for dinner in Brooklyn about two years ago and finally had the heart-to-heart that had been missing since their teenage years in 3LW.

“We were kids,” she stated. “The truth is, the adults were the ones that were supposed to help protect and help us. Once I got a chance to really talk to Adrienne and reconnect, forgiveness started. We’re now both wives and mothers, and forgiveness is the biggest thing for healing.”

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The reunion has already led to unexpected moments of joy, including a spontaneous performance of their 2000s hit “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right)” at Bailon-Houghton’s Thanksgiving party last year.

“They wanted us to go on tour, so we might pop out and show ‘em, right?” she said of the impromptu moment. “A little throwback.”

‘I was supposed to be a Cheetah Girl’

In the same interview, Naughton-Lewis revealed for the first time that 3LW was initially pitched as the foundation for Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls,” but she says she was deliberately excluded from the deal.

“Cheetah Girls was pitched to 3LW. Why do you think it’s a girl group?” she asked. “It was three girls and Raven-Symoné. Disney was developing a movie and we were all supposed to be in it. But my group’s manager went to the meeting without me.”

When the meeting ended, she said, her groupmates returned home with shocking news:

“They told me after the fact that Disney was going to offer 3LW a deal to do a movie called ‘The Cheetah Girls’ with Raven-Symoné — and that I wasn’t going to be in the group anymore. That was the beginning of the X-ing.”

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Naughton-Lewis admitted that the decision left her devastated at the time, but she’s now able to see it as divine redirection.

“I had a lot of resentment about that… but God knew what he was doing,” she said. “For me to go and play Lil’ Kim [in Notorious], I think coming from ‘The Cheetah Girls’ would’ve been a stark reality for some. It gave me a clean slate.”

Healing from the past

Naughton-Lewis has spoken openly about the trauma she experienced in 3LW, including the physical altercation that led to her departure in 2002. In a previous interview with People, she said she plans to return to music soon and address “some of the feelings I had after being ousted.”

Despite the painful memories, she says she’s learned to focus on gratitude, not grief.

“Forgiveness is healing,” she said. “Now I can tap into 3LW and have a good time anytime.”

And while a 3LW tour isn’t confirmed, Naughton-Lewis seems more open than ever to celebrating the legacy that helped launch her career.

“We might pop out,” she teased. “A little throwback never hurt nobody.”