To kick off the inaugural episode of her new podcast, The Ally Brooke Show, former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke got candid about her experience in the popular girl group.
"We took the entertainment industry by storm," said Ally. "Looking back at that, I sometimes don’t even realize how big we were."
"Because I guess if you’re part of something like that, you can’t even grasp because your life is moving 1,000 miles a minute. It was such a whirlwind."
But despite their multi-platinum success and providing fans with anthems time and time again, Ally pointed out that her time with Fifth Harmony wasn't always positive.
"I hate saying this — my time in Fifth Harmony…I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t love it. It was hard because there was so much going on."
Being vulnerable isn’t easy, but I’m ready. This is one of the many topics I talk about. The first episode of The Ally Brooke Show is out now💞 Watch Episode 1 now. I hope you love it! https://t.co/onHaNOI6vk
"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."
The 27-year-old singer also admitted that she didn't really trust anyone around her, including "people that were in our circle."
"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."
Ally recalled a time when a label head tried to "take advantage" of her:
I show up to meet with him and he gives me a freaking thong. I know what he was trying to do. I was humiliated. I was going there super vulnerable [asking for help]... At the time, that behavior was accepted.
"I’m so proud. I’m so thankful for Fifth Harmony, it changed my life…but it’s kind of the weird balance. It’s a balance of being grateful but also being okay with the fact that things were not okay for me.”
"People around me told me that I wasn't good enough, I wasn't cool enough, I wasn't valued, nobody cared about me. It was awful, but I also try to remember the good times."
Not only was she told she wasn't good enough, but Ally was also often labeled as "the fat one" in the group. When paparazzi photos were taken, Ally said people would always "make fun" of her.
"It was traumatizing. I’m getting more comfortable with learning how to open up with my experiences in this industry and in Fifth Harmony.”
To learn more about Ally and her experience with Fifth Harmony, be sure to watch the full, debut episode of The Ally Brooke Show.
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And you can catch new episodes every Wednesday!