TLC’s T-Boz Shares Sickle Cell Battle and Music Success on TV One Special

TV One will air a new Uncensored episode featuring TLC member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. This episode provides a view into Watkins' personal journey battling sickle cell disease, attaining the greatest heights of fame across the globe, enduring tremendous loss, and maintaining enduring faith along the way.

The episode revisits TLC's well-documented financial struggles, including a dispute over unpaid earnings, and recalls the group's defiant act of destroying promotional records with baseball bats before distributing remaining copies to fans. Preview clips also surface behind-the-scenes moments, including reported early skepticism from music executives L.A. Reid and Clive Davis over the band's hit "Waterfalls."

TLC was formed in Atlanta in 1990 by Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The group achieved superstardom with multiple number-one songs, including "Creep," "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs," and "Unpretty." Their 1994 album CrazySexyCool was certified diamond by the RIAA, and TLC has sold over 60 million albums worldwide; thus, they are among the top-selling female groups of all time.

The Uncensored episode chronicles how Watkins was diagnosed with sickle cell disease and given an early prognosis that she might not live past 30, a sobering forecast that stands in sharp contrast to her subsequent role leading one of music's most iconic acts. The program frames her story as one of resilience forged through belief and perseverance in the face of medical challenges and relentless industry pressures.