Ally Brooke Opened Up About The "Toxicity" She Experienced While In Fifth Harmony

During the first episode of her new podcast, former Fifth Harmony alum Ally Brooke got real about what it was really like being a member of the world-famous girl group. Although the singer said she's grateful for everything she accomplished with Normani, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui, and Dinah Jane, she admitted there were several bad moments that happened behind the scenes that made the whole experience difficult. You need to hear Ally Brooke's quotes about toxicity in Fifth Harmony because they're a lot to take in.

Brooke announced her latest project just a day before its launch on May 12. "Surprise! So excited to announce I’m coming out with my own podcast/ YouTube show!" the star wrote on Instagram. "Episode one it’s gonna get real (and beautiful) ❤️ Don’t miss it 😍." The next day, the first episode of The Ally Brooke Show, titled "My Time in Fifth Harmony / I Believe in Miracles!" premiered on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. While sharing a preview of her new show, Brooke told fans, "Being vulnerable isn’t easy, but I’m ready."

Brooke didn't hold back when talking about her Fifth Harmony days. The singer began her podcast by sharing some good memories she had while being in the group from 2012 to 2018. "We took over the world. We took the music industry and the entertainment industry by storm," Brooke said. "I’m going to say how proud I am of Fifth Harmony... of what we did for music, of what we did for girls, what we did for female empowerment, what we did for girl groups. We had hits, we had anthems, and great songs."

While she doesn't take any of her success with the group for granted, Brooke said not every memory from that chapter of her life was positive. "I hate saying this. My time in Fifth Harmony, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t love it. I didn’t like it. It was hard because there was so much going on. So much behind the scenes, so much toxicity, so much abuse, so much abusive power, so much mental abuse, verbal abuse, and it’s just horrible," Brooke revealed, adding it's "a shame" there was such a toxic environment that affected her experience.

Brooke said sometimes, she doesn't even want to think about her Fifth Harmony days because of how the toxic work environment affected her self-esteem. "I’ll look at a music video and all I’ll remember is how I felt that day. How I felt super insecure, or how I felt let down or how I felt like I wasn’t good enough. 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," she said.

The reason she chose to open up about her experience was to spread awareness that life in the spotlight isn't easy. "I hope by me sharing my story that I can help someone else to speak out, to speak up, to maybe be alert and be aware and know that there’s a better way to get things done. To know that there’s a better way to live and thrive in this industry. We as women especially, we deserve our respect," Brooke said.

You can listen to the first episode of The Ally Brooke Show below.