Chilli’s Relationship With Matthew Lawrence Has Her TLC Bandmate T-Boz’s Approval

Chilli and Matthew Lawrence’s relationship has the stamp of approval from TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. The 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards had a star-studded lineup of musicians nominated for such categories as tour style, innovators, and fan armies—obviously the BTS Army won that one—and the happy couple were on hand as well. 

So was Chilli’s TLC bandmate T-Boz, and an interviewer from People chatted with her about the singer’s new relationship with Lawrence. Turns out she had nothing but good things to say. 

“She is so happy,” T-Boz, 52, said on March 27. “Take it from her sister. Trust me—I’ve never seen her like this.” 

Chilli’s newfound happiness is especially meaningful when you consider the difficulties T-Boz and Chilli faced following the tragic loss of their third bandmate, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. In the years that followed, music held these friends turned sisters together. T-Boz continues to be a major part of Chilli’s life, so it’s sweet to see that Lawrence has her enthusiastic approval.

“I am ecstatic,” Chilli confirmed. “He’s the best, and she approves.”

Initially the pair were said to be “just friends" after being photographed together on the beach in Waikiki, Hawaii, in August 2022. But just three months later, the couple soft-launched their relationship when paparazzi caught snaps of them jetting off for the Thanksgiving holiday. It took another two months for Lawrence, 43, and Chilli, 52, to make it Instagram-official on New Year’s Eve in a video of them dancing in matching pajamas to A-ha’s “Take on Me.”

It seems Matthew Lawrence is absolutely smitten as well, given that he’s already making plans for their future together. “She’s an amazing person,” he said on the red carpet. “She’s already a mother, she has an incredible son. I respect so much as to how she’s raised him. She’d be an incredible mother again and I’d be incredibly lucky, but that’s way in the future.”