The Pussycat Dolls

Antin began exploring the idea of a modern burlesque troupe during 1990 with Carla Kama and Christina Applegate as performers. The troupe began to perform in 1995, with a repertoire of 1950s and 1960s popular music standards while dressed in lingerie or old-fashioned pin-up costumes. They secured a Thursday night residency at a Los Angeles nightclub, The Viper Room, where they stayed from 1995 to 2001. They appeared briefly in the 1998 films Matters of Consequence (dancing to Henry Mancini's "Hub Caps and Tail Lights", and Keely Smith's "When Your Lover has Gone"), and The Treat (directed by Jonathan Gems). From 1995 to 2003 there were numerous guest vocalists, and many changes to the dance personnel.

The troupe received wider press coverage during June 1999, when Playboy featured a Pussycat Dolls pictorial, featuring at least seven contemporary members posing semi-nude (Kasey Campbell, Kiva Dawson, Antonietta Macri, Erica Breckels, Katie Bergold, Erica Gudis and Lindsley Allen). Three years later, the Pussycat Dolls moved to The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. They were featured in magazines, television specials for MTV and VH1, ad campaigns, and films. Some of the Pussycat Dolls appeared in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, dancing to Mancini's "The Pink Panther Theme". They were also featured in Pink's "Trouble" music video. Along with Applegate, Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra (who was the group's lead performer for many of their shows) the troupe was featured in a Maxim magazine shoot in 2002, which increased public interest in them (Aguilera later appeared in the similarly themed 2010 film Burlesque directed by Robin Antin's brother Steve). In November 2002 the Dolls appeared with Electra on the Late Show with David Letterman (dancing to "The Pink Panther Theme" and Squirrel Nut Zippers' "My Drag", and with Staci Flood singing "Big Spender"). In 2003, the troupe appeared alongside t.A.T.u. during the band's live performance of "All the Things She Said" / "Not Gonna Get Us" at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

Following their growing popularity, Interscope Geffen A&M Records music producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair became involved with the group helping them to transform into a franchise after Gwen Stefani was asked to perform with the group. The former dance troupe evolved into a popular music recording group and became employees of Iovine's label Interscope Records. The only troupe members who remained after the re-casting process were Robin Antin, Carmit Bachar, Cyia Batten, Kasey Campbell, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt. Electra, when asked about her lack of involvement with the group's evolution into a popular music group, said, "I was part of [the Pussycat Dolls] for over two years and did every show with them [...] but financially, I couldn't become part of their new music project [...] It was a sacrifice I couldn't make."

During 2003, Antin struck a joint venture with Interscope Records to develop the Pussycat Dolls into a brand, with Jimmy Iovine assigning the project to Ron Fair. Auditions followed suit, for a separate group which would not include celebrity members. Singers Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton and Kaya Jones were recruited, joining Bachar, Roberts, Sutta, Wyatt, Batten, Campbell and Antin to form a new recording group. In February 2004, they performed "Big Spender" live at the MTV Asia Awards. In 2004, they recorded "We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going" for the Shark Tale soundtrack and recorded the single, "Sway" which is featured on the soundtrack of Shall We Dance? The group briefly reunited with Electra for a guest performance at VH1 Divas 2004 where they performed "Tainted Love", "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (with Tom Jones) and "Girls on Film" before joining the headliners in a finale of "New Attitude" alongside Patti LaBelle. Kaya Jones left the group in September 2004, while Batten and Campbell left in January 2005. Antin would eventually shift into a strictly managerial and creative role.

The group's debut album, PCD, was released in September 2005 and sold three million copies in the United States. The album's lead single, "Don't Cha", was a number-one hit in various countries worldwide and became their signature song, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by "Stickwitu", which became their second number-one single in the UK and New Zealand, and reached number five on the Hot 100. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Beep" also became a hit, reaching number one in Belgium and New Zealand, number two in the UK, and number thirteen in the US. The group became one of the top-selling artists in 2006, while the album appeared at number twelve on the Billboard 200-year-end chart that year.

The group was selected to perform for the introduction for ABC's coverage of the NBA. The Pussycat Dolls first opened for The Black Eyed Peas' Honda Civic Tour in North America. To further promote the album, Snoop Dogg was added to a remix of "Buttons", which became a worldwide hit reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and top five elsewhere. The Pussycat Dolls embarked on their PCD World Tour with Rihanna as the opening act in the UK leg. One of the dates of the PCD World Tour was recorded and streamed via MSN Music. The group ran into trouble in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the authorities for sexually explicit dancing. The performance, a part of the PCD World Tour, was not well received in the Muslim state, which frowned upon the group's "eye-popping attire" and "sexually suggestive stage routines". Absolute Entertainment, the company behind the group's appearance in Malaysia, was fined $3000 for the incident. Two final singles would be released from the album, "I Don't Need a Man" and "Wait a Minute", with the former becoming a moderate success and the latter becoming the group's fifth top 40 single on the Hot 100.

To further promote PCD, the Pussycat Dolls toured along with Danity Kane on Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour in North America from February to May 2007. The success of the group's debut album brought them a wide array of spin-offs including a CW reality series, Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll. The goal of the show was to add a seventh member to join them in future endeavors. Asia Nitollano was announced as the winner on April 24, however several months later, it was revealed that Nitollano had actually quit the group shortly after the finale aired. Following their performance at Live Earth, the group would only have occasional one-off performances for a while and went on a hiatus in mid-2007, during which Scherzinger attempted to launch a solo career. Plans for her debut solo album, Her Name is Nicole, would eventually be shelved after the release of four singles failed to make an impact on the charts. In August 2007, Sutta would be featured on the Paul van Dyke track "White Lies", which topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Singles chart.

On March 3, 2008, it was announced via the group's website that Carmit Bachar had left the group, intending to pursue a solo career. At the time of her departure, she had been the longest performing member of the group, joining in 1995 when they were a burlesque act. Several days later, they performed for the first time without Bachar for the Operation MySpace concert which honored US troops stationed in Kuwait. In May 2008, they released their second album's lead single "When I Grow Up", which reached the top ten in 16 countries. At the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, its accompanying music video was nominated for six awards, the most of that ceremony, and went on to win Best Dancing in a Video. Doll Domination was released in September 2008 to mixed reviews. It attained their highest peak position on the Billboard 200, but failed to match the sales of its predecessor, selling less than a sixth as many as PCD sold (in the UK), and regarding it as a commercial disappointment. Three subsequent singles were released in 2008, "Whatcha Think About That", "Out of This Club", and "I Hate This Part"; the last one peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In January 2009, the Pussycat Dolls embarked on the Doll Domination Tour, their second headlining worldwide concert tour, which highlighted stops in Europe, Oceania, and Asia, and grossed over $14 million. Between the first two legs, the group opened for The Circus Starring Britney Spears in North America. In May 2009, Jessica Sutta suffered a back injury during the first Sydney show, leaving the group performing as a foursome throughout the following shows. While on tour in Europe, Nicole Scherzinger was asked to re-write pop version of "Jai Ho" from the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The song was entitled "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" and credited Scherzinger as a featured artist. This caused internal strife within the group, and a public outburst by Melody Thornton during one of the group's appearances on tour. Despite that, it became one of their most successful singles, and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, after charging eighty-five places, making the largest weekly leap from number 100. The album's final two singles, "Bottle Pop" and "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" topped the US Hot Dance/Club Songs chart. Meanwhile, Doll Domination was reissued into scaled down versions in various territories; in Australia, the album was subtitled 2.0. with ten songs and an EP subtitled The Mini Collection was released in the United Kingdom.

After the tour's conclusion, the group went on a hiatus, with Robin Antin acknowledging that new members would be joining Scherzinger. By February 2010, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt, and Melody Thornton had announced their departures from the group, with Wyatt later acknowledging that "the group has fully disbanded." In May 2010, four new members surrounded Scherzinger in a new line-up, but by the end of the year, Scherzinger had left the group to pursue a solo career. In 2011, there were continued attempts to rebuild the group, and a line-up that included former Paradiso Girls member Lauren Bennett, former Girlicious member Chrystina Sayers, Paula van Oppen, Vanessa Curry, and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Erica Kiehl Jenkins was featured in a GoDaddy commercial during Super Bowl XLVI. The group would go on to call themselves G.R.L, citing the need for differentiating from the Pussycat Dolls due to their music being less urban and they would spend the rest of the year recording their debut album. In 2015, the group would disband nine months after member Simone Battle committed suicide following a battle with depression, before returning as a trio in 2016.

In October 2017, social media sites were set up for a reunion. On April 25, 2018, during an appearance on The Chris Ramsey Show, Wyatt claimed that the band could reunite before the end of 2018. "We're all just in a place where we're kind of ready to live it all again, and make it fun and enjoy it and everything," she said. "So yeah, we're looking at the possibilities."

Later in September 2019, Entertainment Tonight reported that Scherzinger has joined former members of the Pussycat Dolls for new studio sessions and the band would be reuniting for a "greatest hits" tour in 2020.

On November 28, 2019, the group then confirmed their reunion on British radio station Heart, confirming that Bachar, Roberts, Scherzinger, Sutta, and Wyatt had been recording new music and have announced nine tour dates around the United Kingdom in 2020, with their The Pussycat Dolls Tour. It has been expanded to include dates in Australia and New Zealand. The tour, however, was pushed back to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation at that time. During the interview, Scherzinger remarked that it had been around ten years since the group's last tour and that the time felt right, "it's been a long time coming, but this feels like the perfect time to remind the world what it means to be a Pussycat Doll." According to group founder Robin Antin, Thornton would not be taking part due to her feeling like the time was not right. The group have stated that they are leaving the door open for Thornton and she would be welcome back if she decided to join them later down the line.

On November 30, 2019, the Pussycat Dolls performed at The X Factor: Celebrity finale with a medley of their previous hits "Buttons", "When I Grow Up", "Don't Cha", and a brand new song, "React". The group's performance at the show attracted over 400 complaints to British broadcasting regulator Ofcom for their "risque outfits" and being "too raunchy". Sutta confirmed that a new album was in the works. On January 31, 2020, singer Meghan Trainor released her third studio album, Treat Myself, which features the Pussycat Dolls on the song "Genetics". In February 2020, the group performed on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and at Nova FM 96.9's Red Room at Glass Island Sydney Harbour, Australia in March.

In March 2021, it was announced that The Pussycat Dolls Tour was once again being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation at that time. In the same month, Sutta and Robin Antin appeared on Entertainment Tonight to announce Sutta's pregnancy and confirm the group's plans for new music and to tour when it was safe to do so. The group is in discussions to collaborate with Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Karol G, while also expressing a desire to work with Snoop Dogg again. On new music, Sutta said: "I think you're going to hear a lot of us singing. All my bandmates are incredibly talented, they have beautiful voices and I think it's definitely time for them to shine."

In January 2022, Scherzinger officially confirmed the tour's cancellation on an Instagram story post. The official reasons cited "evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic". Not long after group members Sutta and Bachar confirmed that they had only learnt about the tour's cancellation from Scherzinger's Instagram post, writing their own statement saying "We want to say how incredibly disappointed we are to learn of an announcement made on Instagram that The Pussycat Dolls reunion tour is canceled. As of now, there has been no official notification of that." Antin also confirmed the tour's cancellation stating that "all of us have made personal & financial sacrifices"... and later confirming that there were "truths to this situation" which may see the light of day one day. Wyatt has expressed she had "done all [she] can", as she was the motivator for the reunion for years. She confirmed that both she and Roberts still wanted the tour to happen. Although the last known tour dates were confirmed cancelled by Antin and Scherzinger, Live Nation's website lists 9 new UK and Ireland tour listings for the group under the date "rescheduled".

On May 28, 2022, Universal Music Group released Celebrating Pride: The Pussycat Dolls, a compilation EP featuring six previous singles including "Don't Cha", "Buttons", "Stickwitu", "When I Grow Up", "Beep" and "I Don't Need a Man".

The Pussycat Dolls had re-recorded "Don't Cha" in Simlish (as "Do Ba") for inclusion in the computer game The Sims 2: Pets. They also appeared in the video game Asphalt: Urban GT 2 released in November 2005, though their presence in-game was criticised by reviewers as a "marketing gimmick". In a merchandising agreement with Interscope in 2006, toy manufacturer Hasbro planned a line of dolls modeled after the group, reportedly to be marketed to six to nine-year-olds. Two organizations (Dads and Daughters and Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) successfully lobbied Hasbro to scrap the plan, saying they felt the group would have been inappropriate for children due to the overtly sexual nature of the Pussycat Dolls' songs, videos and performances. Also in 2006, Interscope negotiated a deal with Estée Lauder for a Pussycat Dolls line of cosmetics under the Stila brand. In 2008, Robin Antin and the La Senza Corporation produced a line of Burlesque Pussycat Dolls-styled lingerie called "Shhh...by Robin Antin", and on December 15, Antin released Robin Antin's Pussycat Dolls Workout, which is composed of dancers from the Pussycat Doll Lounge Review including Chrystina Sayers from Girlicious, and features Nicole Scherzinger.

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas operated a resident live show at its "Pussycat Dolls Lounge", until closing the venue in February 2015. The burlesque-style show had female dancers inside a rhinestone-encrusted bathtub and on raised platforms, with female dealers, also wearing Pussycat Dolls-inspired T&A clothing, operating the blackjack and roulette tables in the venue.

Critics have taken a major swipe at the group for their overemphasis of Scherzinger. Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly said, "there are two kinds of girl groups: those anchored by a superstar (The Supremes, Destiny's Child), and those made up of charismatic personalities endowed with limited individual gifts (Spice Girls, TLC). The Pussycat Dolls are neither—they're a brand, not a band. This follow-up to 2005's multi-platinum PCD finds lead Doll Nicole Scherzinger in the spotlight, and she's no Beyoncé. As for the others, well... can you name them? Do you even know how many there are?" The Telegraph's Adam White described the Pussycat Dolls as "pop's most embittered group" where the other members played the role of "glorified back-up dancers", and said that their 2006 performance at the American Music Awards "appeared to prove all was not well within the group's dynamic."

Kaya Jones, who initially auditioned as a vocalist for the group, said: "Nicole was always someone who wanted to be in the spotlight and would do pretty much anything to get it. [...] To call the other girls in the Pussycat Dolls 'window dressings' is a bit farfetched... every girl in the group was talented." In a 2014 interview with The Independent, Ashley Roberts claimed that she and her bandmates "were always told it was very much Nicole's project [...] we were the football team, and [Scherzinger] was the quarterback. You know, we weren't allowed to talk in interviews. We weren't even allowed in the studio sometimes." Kimberly Wyatt said in 2009: "Every video and stage performance that we've done, Nicole has been our leader. I wasn't in videos like I wanted and wasn't seen in the way I was hoping, which has been the same for all the other girls too." In an interview with Vibe, Thornton said: "For me, it's important for people to know that I do write... I got into the group to sing. That was made very clear to me. But it became more and more apparent what was going on. Roles were being minimised and minimised, and then by the time it got on the [road], it was very much like 'Y'all play your part and this is what it is.' It was tough because you don't want to s--- on your own opportunity."

Following the group's reformation in 2019, Bachar addressed their prior split, "It wasn't a bitter ending. It was just a time in our lives where we all wanted to go and do our own thing and flourish. I went and had a family. We all stayed in touch." Roberts added, "Nicole is our lead singer and that is the way the band is constructed. We all have our place in the band and we each give something special individually, which fits like a puzzle—that's what makes the Pussycat Dolls." Scherzinger confirmed that she would take centre stage but that this was by mutual agreement, "It feels better than ever now I have evolved as a woman. It is actually the time for me to carry it. It's not even me—we all carry each other. We make each other stronger". Wyatt also confirmed that the other girls do get chances to record vocals, "Ultimately, The Pussycat Dolls has a lead singer and that is Nicole. Whenever I get an opportunity to sing and get in the studio and throw down some vocals, I'm so grateful." Speaking about the scrutiny that the group came under and the media attention, Wyatt said, "We want people to love it and focus on the amazing feat we have done together instead of trying to rip us apart."

Following their performance on The X Factor: Celebrity in November 2019, the group were accused of over-sexualisation and being raunchy for wearing sheer PVC outfits. Over 400 viewers complained to British broadcast regulator Ofcom. Despite a more muted performance on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway in February 2020 that poked fun at their X Factor performance and featured some censorship, Ofcom continued to receive complaints, albeit a smaller amount, about the group. Scherzinger spoke out against the media and negative coverage, comparing the group's message to American singer-songwriter Lizzo, an advocate for body awareness: "If you have people like Lizzo leading the movement of accepting yourself, and they don't get any criticism, then why are we getting this criticism? When we perform, we perform from a place of passion and power. We're not floundering out there just trying to be cute. We come like warriors out there, and people feel empowered by that." Barchar addressed the criticism of their second performance by saying, "Being on Ant & Dec's show was hysterical; they are so good at what they do, and the way they made light of the whole censorship thing was amazing. It's great that we got to be silly with it and we had a blast." She supported early comments by Scherzinger that the intention and aims of the group's performances were always about empowerment, saying, "Everyone has an opinion on what we do, and while I think the power of a woman can be intimidating, it's all about the intention of our performances".

Wyatt has also defended the group's image by saying that it is an important message around female empowerment. During an appearance on The Morning Show, Wyatt talked about bringing her children to rehearsals: "[I love] teaching them what it means to be a Pussycat Doll and own your space as a female. I think it's a really positive and important message for my girls to see and understand what that means." Wyatt also stated during an interview with News.com.au that the reunion feels like unfinished business due to the Pussycat Dolls being misunderstood: "Luckily we have a presence online now and we can help people understand us, understand dance, understand what intention means as a performer ... there is still a conversation to be had, and the Pussycat Dolls are a little bit misunderstood by those who don’t seek to know who we are." This has also been echoed by Scherzinger who has since said, "We just want to say everything we do, we do it from a place of confidence ... only with the intention of inspiring and empowering each and every one of you ... And we just want to help some of you who are maybe struggling with stepping into your own power."

Referring to their provocative image, Sutta told The Daily Telegraph Australia that she felt that ageism is rife within the music industry but that times were changing: "You've got J-Lo at 50 who's looking as fabulous as ever, and Lizzo who is all about self-love and owning it. It's a new era, and there's no rules anymore." Scherzinger also noted that the group had matured and felt more confident than ever: "I mean, if there is a time to be more provocative, it's when you're grown up, when you're comfortable in your skin and you fully accept yourself, right?" In a piece titled "If You Don't Like The Pussycat Dolls or Lizzo, You Can Always Look Away" for The Guardian, Barbara Ellen discussed the interplay of ageism, sexism, and sizeism that female musicians face in the industry, comparing the negative media attention that the Pussycat Dolls received to that which was received by Lizzo for appearing in underwear on TikTok and by Jennifer Lopez for her performance at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show. Ellen wrote, "What is it about successful female artists doing their thing, on stage or on social media, that drives certain sectors of society crazy? And why is the sexism so often merged with ageism or sizeism, as if that makes the abuse they're meting out extra special and justified?"

Later in March 2020 during an interview with Network Ten's The Project, Scherzinger acknowledged that the costumes for the performance were provocative but also said, "We are women now and, like literally as we say, (our bums) were hanging out and it takes courage to be that. You know, it is vulnerable wearing as much as that. It takes a lot of courage to do it and we always do everything with confidence, with the intent of empowering others and all of our women out there and anyone who feels they relate to us". News AU and Junkee both criticised hosts of The Project for focusing on a perceived sexual nature of their dance moves and for making the interview with Scherzinger awkward. One of The Project's hosts, Waleed Aly, asked sexist questions such as whether the girls "fight over who wore the best tube tops and low-rise jeans?". Jared Richards (Junkee) said, "It's a mess, absolutely dismissive of Scherzinger as a person and The Pussycat Dolls as an act... While sex appeal is a big part of The Pussycat Dolls, a group which started as a burlesque performance, there's a right and a wrong way to ask about it." During the closing segment of the interview, Scherzinger was cut off as she said, "If you watch us, we dance with heart, we dance like warriors, we come from a real place of power..." As the music played, Scherzinger could be heard asking if the interview was about to cut to another segment. Viewers of the programme also slammed the hosts for the reductive nature of the interview. Music News reported that hundreds of viewers complained about the segment via Twitter.

In September 2021, it was reported that Scherzinger was refusing to take part in the tour and had been subsequently sued by Robin Antin, founder of the Pussycat Dolls. The media reported that Scherzinger had originally agreed to 49% of the tour's earnings but was now refusing to take part unless this rose to 75% and included overall creative control. Documents filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court found that the basis of the agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding in which Scherzinger had committed to 45 shows, under terms that she would receive 32.5% of earnings from the tour; with Sutta, Roberts, Wyatt, and Antin receiving 12.5% and Bachar receiving 5%, reflecting her departure before the release of the group's second album, Doll Domination (2008). The legal dispute arose from Scherzinger wanting to negotiate the share of earnings by PCD Worldwide (a new business venture that would handle future earnings from the group and the brand) from the existing term of 49% to an increased 75% to reflect "opportunities she would have to forego to continue to engage in the partnership with Antin and the band as her reason for demanding a bigger share".

Scherzinger's lawyer released a counter-statement to Antin's claims. In the response were details of an advance of $600,000 from Live Nation that Antin had received to support the tour and now "won't or can't repay", as well as an accusation of Antin "trading on Nicole's name without her consent" and a public release of the group's financial arrangements for the tour. Scherzinger concluded that the lawsuit was "ludicrous and false" and that, under those circumstances, the tour cannot happen. Scherzinger further responded to the lawsuit with a counter-claim in August 2022 stating that Antin has been trying to orchestrate a comeback for the band as far back as 2017. According to papers filed by Scherzinger, it was on the promise of a comeback that Antin obtained funds from Live Nation and tried unsuccessfully to revive the Pussycat Dolls for a reunion with American singer Pia Mia as the group's lead. Mia was allegedly paid $100,000 for the arrangement which never came to fruition. Scherzinger and Antin reached an agreement for the group's 2019 tour which was subsequently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scherzinger's position stated that the original 2019 agreement had lapsed and a new venture agreement was needed to proceed with the tour. Additional requested agreement terms included compensation, appropriate shares, and control over the group to recognise Scherzinger's personal and financial commitments to the reunion. According to Scherzinger, the Pussycat Dolls' promotional appearances on The X Factor: Celebrity and subsequent Australian performances had been financed and sourced by Scherzinger. The case against Antin alleges that Scherzinger's likeness was used to promote a tour for which there was no agreement in place and that Antin has appropriated funds from the Live Nation advance for activities that were not related to Pussycat Dolls business. These claims have been refuted by Antin's lawyers and will be subject to further litigation.