Why Did Raven-Symone Leave the Cheetah Girls? The Answer May Surprise You
Published June 27 2023, 5:40 p.m. ET
Kiely Williams, Sabrina Bryan, Raven, Lynn Whitfield, and Adrienne Bailon at the premiere of "The Cheetah Girls” in 2003.
The year is 2003, and Raven-Symone is everywhere. When she’s not starring in her hit TV show, That’s So Raven, where she plays a teenager with psychic abilities, she’s busting a move and hitting all the right notes with her all-female music group, the Cheetah Girls.
Similar to her show, the Cheetah Girls was created by Disney. It was made up of Raven (obviously), Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Bryan. The franchise grew in popularity after the release of the eponymous Disney Channel film and its sequels, The Cheetah Girls 2 and The Cheetah Girls: One World.
But if you recall, Raven didn't appear in the latter film as she had left the group by then.
Although the Cheetah Girls officially broke up in 2008, as Disney started investing in new franchises like High School Musical, many fans wondered why Raven didn't stick it out to the end.
What exactly made her quit the Cheetah Girls?
Raven-Symone at the 8th Annual Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party at Paramount Studios in October 2010.
Why did Raven leave the Cheetah Girls?
While Raven appeared in The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2, she did not appear in the franchise's final film, The Cheetah Girls: One World, released in 2008. She was believed to have left the group in 2006 after filming for The Cheetah Girls 2.
This was a significant loss for the group as Raven was the lead singer. But apparently, there was just too much drama during the second film that Raven wanted out.
During an episode of The View, actress Lynn Whitfield was on, who played Raven's mom in the Cheetah Girls movies. At the time, Raven was actually a host for the daytime talk show, so they got to have a mini-reunion.
Ultimately, she applauded Lynn for being her rock during filming. "She kept me super sane in one of these movies, Raven said, adding, "If it weren't for her, y'all would have had to bail me out of jail in Barcelona."
For context, Barcelona is where the second Cheetah Girls movie was filmed.
While Raven didn't elaborate on what happened, it was clear that there had been tensions between her and other group members behind the scenes.
Furthermore, in 2020, Raven invited former group member Kiely to her Instagram Live to talk about what once was the Cheetah Girls. During this chat, Raven inferred again that her exit was due to drama.
The Disney alum stated, "The cliquish way that there was during that movie made me feel excluded from my original team. Not that it was strong, to begin with, but I felt excluded."
Fortunately, Raven and Kiely were able to bury the hatchet, but we can't say the same for the other ladies.
Adrienne and Kiely no longer appear to be friends with one another or with Kiely and Raven. And to think, these ladies once sang "Cause we are sisters, we stand together. We make up one big family..." in their hit single "Cheetah Sisters."
