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The drama between Star Jones and the Detroit nonprofit Full and Fabulous snowballed Monday with the TV host addressing the situation on her Court TV show.
Jones explained her reasons for pulling out of the scheduled speaking engagement to about 1500 overweight teen girls in Fat and Fabulous. Meanwhile, some of the girls vented their frustration with Jones on the group's Web site.
As previously reported, the group's director Sharon Dumas-Pugh is planning a breach of contract lawsuit against Jones, claiming the Court TV host took their $17,000 deposit on a $25,000 speaking fee, got first class upgrades for two airline tickets to Detroit that were provided by the group, and stayed in a five-star hotel - but refused to show up at the speaking engagement when Full and Fabulous was unable to pay the balance of her fee.
According to the New York Daily News, Star instead went to the Super Bowl, a fashion show and arranged her own book-signing at a nearby Borders.
TMZ.com has aired video of Jones defending her decisions. The former member of "The View" said she gave Full and Fabulous until a day before the scheduled event to make good on the balance. When they couldn?t come up with the money, she decided not to participate, Jones said.
On her Court TV show Monday, Jones continued to accuse Full and Fabulous of orchestrating "a nasty shakedown."
Jones said she received $10,000 from the group before her scheduled appearance, but never got the $15,000 balance she was owed. Jones also claims that she didn't get "the level" hotel that she requested for her stay in Detroit, nor was any ground transportation provided.
Furthermore, the former prosecutor says she and husband Al Reynolds paid for their Super Bowl weekend "at our own expense," and that she has yet to receive any more payment from Full and Fabulous.
In any case, Dumas-Pugh told the New York Daily News that a court has ruled on the matter, and "We have a judgment against her for $20,000."
Eighteen-year-old Ethel McIntosh posted on the Full and Fabulous Website: "We worked hard and sold dinners and fruit smoothies to help raise the money to bring you to Detroit. When I become successful, Ms. Jones, I will not forget where I came from, like you seem to have done.
"I am very disappointed that you decided not to support us, especially since most of us looked like you before your tremendous weight loss. We chose you because you were one of the few black women who became successful regardless of your weight. But now I truly wish we had chosen someone else."
Dumas-Pugh told the Daily News, "I have girls 14, 15 years old who are 350 pounds who don't believe they can do anything. Jones was right here, and she still refused to do it.
"We prayed, we tried to get the rest of the money. Almost all of these are low-income kids. On Thursday night, some of the mothers and I went around to the Super Bowl parties asking for donations.
"She is just so selfish. The travel agent told her if she and her husband could arrive at 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m., it would save us $800. The agent told me, 'Star had a temper tantrum and said, 'Nobody tells me when to travel!'
"These kids had bake sales and washed cars to raise that money. These are kids who had never had vegetables before they joined this organization. I had a kid who'd never had an apple. Disappoint these girls? Oh, no, I don't think so."
