Editing Milli Vanilli (section)

==Lip-syncing exposure and media backlash, 1989–1991==
When the duo came in for their first interview with MTV, executive Beth McCarthy-Miller stated that the duo's English language skills stirred doubts among those present as to whether they had sung on their records.<ref name="I Want My MTV">{{cite book|last=Marks|first=Craig|title=I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution|year=2011|publisher=Dutton|location=New York, NY|isbn=9780525952305|pages=[https://archive.org/details/iwantmymtvuncens00mark/page/362 362–363]|author2=Tannenbaum, Rob|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iwantmymtvuncens00mark/page/362}}</ref> In July 1989, MTV launched a ''[[Club MTV]] Tour'' featuring [[Was (Not Was)]], [[Information Society (band)|Information Society]], [[Paula Abdul]], [[Tone Loc]] and Milli Vanilli, with [[Downtown Julie Brown]] and the Club MTV dancers.<ref name="paula-abdul/club-mtv-live-tour">{{cite web |title=Club MTV Live Tour |url=https://www.paula-abdul.com/club-mtv-live-tour-paula-abdul.html |website=Paula-Abdul.com |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="concertarchives/milli-vanilli">{{cite web |title=Milli Vanilli |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/milli-vanilli?page=2 |website=Concert & Tour History - Concert Archives |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="latimes/1989-07-02-ca-4871">{{cite news |last1=Grein |first1=Paul |title='Club MTV' Hits the Road and It's Live |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-02-ca-4871-story.html |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2 July 1989}}</ref><ref name="youtube=k3VOhNxlIA4">{{cite web |title='Club MTV Live Tour' Promo |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3VOhNxlIA4 |website=youtube |access-date=1 November 2023 |language=en |date=1989 |quote=Club MTV Live Tour! Milli Vanilli, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Tone Loc, Information Society, Paula Abdul and Was (Not Was) head out on the road with Downtown Julie Brown & the Club MTV dancers.}}</ref><ref name="philly/doc/spectrum092208">{{cite web |author1=[[Spectrum (arena)]] |title=Concerts (as of 2008-09-22) |url=https://media.philly.com/documents/spectrum092208.htm |website=philly.com |publisher=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref>

The first public sign that the group was lip-syncing came on July 21, 1989, during a live performance on MTV at the Lake Compounce theme park in Bristol, Connecticut. As they performed, a malfunctioning hard drive caused the recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" to jam and skip, repeatedly playing the partial line "Girl, you know it's..." through the speakers.<ref name="ctinsider/17477996">{{cite news |last1=DaRosa |first1=Andrew |title=Did you know Milli Vanilli's lip-sync controversy happened at CT's Lake Compounce? |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/Milli-Vanilli-lip-sync-lake-compounce-ct-17477996.php |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=CT Insider |date=30 September 2022}}</ref> "I knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli", recalled Pilatus of the incident. "When my voice got stuck in the computer, and it just kept repeating and repeating, I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I just ran off the stage."<ref name="Philips 1990"/> Downtown Julie Brown ran after Pilatus and convinced him to finish the set. "With a bit of pushing and screaming, and a couple of F-words I think as well, I got them back out there", Brown explained on VH1's ''[[Behind the Music]]''. Despite the mishap, the concert audience seemed neither to care, nor even to notice, and the concert continued as if nothing unusual had happened.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Milli Vanilli |series=''[[Behind the Music]]'' |network=[[VH1]] |date=7 August 1997}}</ref>

In a March 1990 issue of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, Pilatus was quoted proclaiming himself to be "the new [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]]", reasoning that by the duo's success they were more talented musically than [[Bob Dylan]], [[Paul McCartney]] and [[Mick Jagger]].<ref>{{Cite news | last = Cocks | first = Jay | title = Two Scoops Of Vanilli | newspaper = Time | date = 5 March 1990 }}</ref> This was denied by Morvan in 2017, saying that Pilatus had never used those words and that the quote was taken out of context, likely due to Pilatus still not having a full grasp of the English language.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ua8UfLJ9Hik Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170419173435/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua8UfLJ9Hik&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua8UfLJ9Hik|title=Fab on CD Skipping During Milli Vanilli Performance, Lip Syncing Rumors|last=djvlad|date=19 April 2017|access-date=12 October 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Traxploitation"/>

Unlike the international release of 'All or Nothing,' the inserts for the American version of the album explicitly credited the vocals to Morvan and Pilatus. This prompted singer [[Charles Shaw (singer)|Charles Shaw]] to reveal in December 1989 that he was one of the three actual vocalists on the album and that Pilatus and Morvan were impostors. Farian reportedly paid Shaw $150,000 to retract his statements, though this did not stem the tide of public criticism.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/11/30/down-milli-vanilli/|title=Artificial Vanilli|last=Goodman|first=Fred|author2=Trakin, Roy|date=30 November 1990|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=6 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506074027/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318744,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On the 21 April 1990 episode of ''[[In Living Color]],'' [[Keenen Ivory Wayans]] and [[Damon Wayans]] parodied Milli Vanilli in a sketch, mocking the duo's accents, fashion sense, and dance moves.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/in-living-color-skits-not-aged-well-relevant-today/ |title=In Living Color: 5 Skits That Haven't Aged Well (& 5 That Are Still Relevant Today) |first=Sylvie |last=Soulet |website=[[Screen Rant]] |date=26 January 2020 |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429093618/https://screenrant.com/in-living-color-skits-not-aged-well-relevant-today/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4672-story.html |title=Read Their Lips: More Scoops of Vanilli |first=Steve |last=Hochman |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=21 November 1990 |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429093619/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4672-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to further jokes on the duo, such as [[David Letterman]]'s Top 10 list on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' describing 10 jobs they could do other than music.<ref name="Traxploitation"/>

Because of growing public questions about who sang in the group, as well as Morvan's and Pilatus's demands to Farian that they be allowed to sing on the next album, on 14 November 1990, Farian announced that he had fired them and confessed that they did not sing on the records.<ref name="latimes/1990-11-16-ca-4894"/><ref name="Washington Post 1990">{{cite news | title=POP DUO MILLI VANILLI DIDN'T SING HIT ALBUM | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=16 November 1990 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/ | access-date=6 July 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706045030/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Confronted by ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reporter [[Chuck Philips]], Pilatus confirmed the deception. "It's True: Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing", read the newspaper's headline on 16 November 1990.<ref name="latimes/1990-11-16-ca-4894"/> "I feel like a mosquito being squeezed", Pilatus said. "The last two years of our lives have been a total nightmare. We've had to lie to everybody. We are true singers, but that maniac Frank Farian would never allow us to express ourselves."<ref name="latimes/1990-11-16-ca-4894"/>

[[Arista Records]] dropped the act from its roster and deleted ''[[Girl You Know It's True (album)|Girl You Know It's True]]'' from their catalog, making it one of the largest-selling albums ever to be deleted.<ref name="a118">{{cite web | title=The Milli Vanilli scandal, 30 years later: 'We felt like we were abandoned by everyone' | website=Yahoo Entertainment | date=2019-03-06 | url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/milli-vanilli-scandal-30-years-later-felt-like-abandoned-everyone-005012843.html | access-date=2024-10-21}}</ref> On 19 November 1990, [[The Recording Academy|the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] formally revoked the group's Grammy Award for Best New Artist,<ref name="Grammy">{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=Milli Vanilli's Grammy Rescinded by Academy : Music: Organization revokes an award for the first time after revelation that the duo never sang on album|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-20-mn-4948-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=20 November 1990}}</ref> marking the only time a Grammy was ever rescinded from an artist. The next day, Pilatus and Morvan gave a press conference in front of more than 100 journalists in Los Angeles, where they stated their willingness to return their Grammy Award. The duo said they had "made a deal with the devil", and they sang and rapped for the room to prove that, although they had not sung on their records, they could, in fact, sing.<ref name="Warner 2018"/>

After these details emerged, lawsuits were filed under various U.S. consumer fraud protection laws against Arista Records, Pilatus and Morvan.<ref name=ohio>{{cite web |url=http://www.dworken-bernstein.com/articles/suit-seeks-refunds/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105024135/http://www.dworken-bernstein.com/articles/suit-seeks-refunds/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2020 |title=Suit seeks refunds|publisher=Dworken & Bernstein (law firm)}} </ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DA1239F930A2575BC0A967958260 |title=Judge Rejects Milli Vanilli Refund Plan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 August 1991 |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202093257/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DA1239F930A2575BC0A967958260 |url-status=live }}</ref> One such filing occurred on 22 November 1990, in Ohio, where lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit asking for refunds on behalf of a local woman in [[Cuyahoga County, Ohio|Cuyahoga County]] who had bought ''Girl You Know It's True.'' When the suit was filed, it was estimated that at least 1,000 Ohio residents had bought the album.<ref name="ohio"/> On 12 August 1991, a proposed settlement of a refund lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois, was rejected. This settlement would have refunded buyers of Milli Vanilli CDs, cassettes, records, and singles. However, the refunds would only be given as credits for future Arista releases.<ref name="nyt"/> On 28 August, a new settlement was approved; it refunded those who attended concerts as well as those who bought Milli Vanilli recordings.<ref name="refund">{{cite news |agency=Reuters |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D7173BF932A0575BC0A967958260 |title=Small Victory for Milli Vanilli Fans |newspaper=The New York Times |date=31 August 1991 |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201073550/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/31/arts/small-victory-for-milli-vanilli-fans.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An estimated 10 million buyers were eligible to claim a refund, and they could keep the refunded recordings.<ref name="refund"/> The refund deadline passed on 8 March 1992.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Judge Sets Deadline For Milli Vanilli Records|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|date=30 September 1991|page=32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|access-date=22 September 2016|language=en|archive-date=21 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621174330/http://books.google.com/books?id=DbwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|url-status=live}}</ref>

Adding to the controversy, in December 1990, singer-songwriter [[David Clayton-Thomas]] sued Milli Vanilli for copyright infringement, alleging that the title song of ''All or Nothing'' used the melody from his 1968 composition "[[Spinning Wheel (song)|Spinning Wheel]]", a hit for his group [[Blood, Sweat & Tears]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maull |first1=Samuel |title=Songwriter-Singer Sues Milli Vanilli for Alleged Copyright Infringement |url=https://apnews.com/5a18fb93bc583e2dd8eeee5c6c1a3228 |work=[[AP News]] |date=7 December 1990 |access-date=21 December 2018 |archive-date=21 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221182755/https://apnews.com/5a18fb93bc583e2dd8eeee5c6c1a3228 |url-status=live }}</ref> In an interview from the 2023 documentary film ''Milli Vanilli'', the duo justify their work with Farian to escape poverty. The film, without describing them as innocent, points out that a great many people knew about the deception, but the singers became the scapegoats; the popular narrative was incomplete and misdirected at the two public faces of a much larger operation. In an interview about the film, Morvan said: "People thought they knew the story, but they didn't."<ref name=korem>{{cite web | last=Horton | first=Adrian | title='People thought they knew the story': the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli | website=the Guardian | date=15 June 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/15/milli-vanilli-documentary-tribeca-film-festival}}</ref><ref name=gleiberman/>