Is Milli Vanilli Playing ‘Freedom 250’ or Not? It Depends Which of the Two Competing ‘Real’ Milli Vanillis You Ask … but Fab Morvan Says He’s Doing It
Is Milli Vanilli performing at the controversial, Trump-backed “Freedom 250” festival in Washington, D.C. or not? If not, is it true they were never even approached, let alone booked? If they are, why is the press reporting differently? And, most importantly of all, who is “they,” anyway, when it comes to Milli Vanilli in 2026?
All valid questions, even if some news media haven’t thought through all of them. To the extent that all Milli Vanilli mysteries can be plumbed, the answer appears to be that there are two competing artists (or sets of artists) who claim to represent the “real” Milli Vanilli, and there is some enmity between them.
But if it’s Fab Morvan you’re thinking of — the surviving member of the duo that the world knew as Milli Vanilli before a lip-synching scandal blew things up in 1990 — then yes, he has been booked for Freedom 250 and has said he intends to fulfill the gig.
At least so far, anyway, in a situation that is very much fluid and subject to change, with most of the other acts having dropped out.
Confusion arose when a singer representing “The Real Milli Vanilli” told the Associated Press that no members of her touring group had been approached to do the patriotic D.C. gathering at all. She said that anyone who was booked to play Freedom 250 was a “tribute act” … and by that, she apparently meant Morvan.
But first, Morvan’s position, as of Thursday: ““I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,” he said in a statement emailed to press. “Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of the Great American State Fair as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists. Looking forward to reconnecting with you across the USA this summer and to finally sing Milli Vanilli songs live in person!”
Indeed, the promotional material sent out by Freedom 250 to promote the concerts pictures Morvan, and Morvan alone. (His partner in the duo that won the best new artist Grammy before it was rescinded, Rob Pilatus, died in 1998. Prior to Pilatus’ death, the two of them did go on to make independent recordings and do tour dates, under the moniker Rob & Fab, using their real voices, but with little success.)
Earlier this year, while promoting his memoir and fresh tour dates, Morvan told the Guardian that he has obtained the rights to the Milli Vanilli name. “For a long while I wasn’t allowed to use it. Now I’m playing concerts to thousands of people with a band and me singing, no backing tapes.”
So who is the other Mllli Vanilli that got much of the press reporting that the act had either pulled out of or was never set to do Freedom 250?
“The Real Milli Vanilli” consists of twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco, Brad Howell, John Davis and Charles Shaw, who sang on the original “Girl You Know It’s True” album, either as background vocalists or doing the actual lead vocals that were represented as Pilatus’ and Morvan’s.
“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli,’ as one of the performers,” Jodie Rocco wrote in an email sent to the Associated Press.
This faction did allow that someone might have been booked for the concert, but defiantly said: “Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs” — again, apparently referring to Morvan.
On her Facebook page Thursday, Jodie Rocco made it clear how little regard she has for Morvan and his efforts to perform the catalog.
“So, let me get this straight…. ‘Milli Vanilli’ will be represented by Fab Morvan, who never sang a note on any of the 46 tracks we recorded, is not a singer, never will be a singer, and was never hired by Frank Farian to be a singer. And according to this article, is on the road with actual backup singers. They appear in something called I Love The 90’s Tour. I guess Freedom 250 feels they exemplify the best of American music, even though they’re German and they’re fakes. If this is true, it is shamefully awful. And selfish. And denigrating to my sister Linda, me, Brad Howell, John Davis and Charles Shaw. Dragging our name through the muck and mire yet again.”
In the comments, Rocco continued, “Instead of re-hashing over and over and over music that you had nothing to do with, and now that the world knows who sang the tracks, whoever is managing his career should look at creating a new persona that fits and is far away from Milli Vanilli, and doesn’t continually ignore or denigrate those of us who created the sound. My opinion, of course.”
In response to another comment, she wrote, “Fab Morvan has done very little to keep our story relevant. He has never once mentioned the real singers as a group with the exception of John Davis. He is out for himself. My sister and I have kept the Milli Vanilli legacy alive for more than 37 years. And you are correct, we don’t get the credit we deserve. … The original vocalists were not contacted. Kind of hard to do a ‘Milli Vanilli’ concert without the original vocalists. And the original group are all Americans. The tribute band from Fab are not.”
Rocco is opinionated on many musical and political subjects, with other posts derogating Bad Bunny (“Thank God Turning Point USA is putting on a show that will change the way Americans watch the SB half-time show for years to come”), Billie Eilish (“Yo Billie, America was not stolen. It was conquered. That’s right, America was conquered and settled from nothing into the greatest country in the history of the world”) and Lady Gaga (“Jelly Roll reintroduced Jesus Christ to the nitwit crowd [at the Grammys]. Hopefully, they took notes. Maybe they can give some of those notes to Gaga”).
For Morvan’s part, it appears that sometimes he has been advertised for “I Love the 90s” package shows under his own name and sometimes as Milli Vanilli. Among the recent dates he’s done is a show at Irvine’s Great Park Live in February where he shared the bill with Vanilla Ice, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Color Me Badd and Tone Loc. Among the shows he has coming up are an “I Love the 90s” date in Rockford July 10.
The “Real Milli Vanilli” home page contains biographical background on the five singers who are grouped under that banner, but does not list any past or future concert dates.
Variety has reached out to Rocco and to Morvan’s reps for further comment on the dispute over who gets to carry the name.
As of Friday, Morvan was one of just two acts to have publicly declared he was definitely fulfilling the Freedom 250 booking, the other being Vanilla Ice. Five of the nine acts advertised have officially announced they were dropping out: Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day, Martina McBride and the Commodores. Freedom Williams of C&C Music Factory posted a video saying he was considering the option to drop out but was inclined to do the gig. (One of the co-founders of that group, Robert Clivillés, subsequently issued a statement distancing himself from Williams.) The only one of the nine acts not to have commented at all, as of Friday, is Flo Rida.
All valid questions, even if some news media haven’t thought through all of them. To the extent that all Milli Vanilli mysteries can be plumbed, the answer appears to be that there are two competing artists (or sets of artists) who claim to represent the “real” Milli Vanilli, and there is some enmity between them.
But if it’s Fab Morvan you’re thinking of — the surviving member of the duo that the world knew as Milli Vanilli before a lip-synching scandal blew things up in 1990 — then yes, he has been booked for Freedom 250 and has said he intends to fulfill the gig.
At least so far, anyway, in a situation that is very much fluid and subject to change, with most of the other acts having dropped out.
Confusion arose when a singer representing “The Real Milli Vanilli” told the Associated Press that no members of her touring group had been approached to do the patriotic D.C. gathering at all. She said that anyone who was booked to play Freedom 250 was a “tribute act” … and by that, she apparently meant Morvan.
But first, Morvan’s position, as of Thursday: ““I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,” he said in a statement emailed to press. “Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of the Great American State Fair as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists. Looking forward to reconnecting with you across the USA this summer and to finally sing Milli Vanilli songs live in person!”
Indeed, the promotional material sent out by Freedom 250 to promote the concerts pictures Morvan, and Morvan alone. (His partner in the duo that won the best new artist Grammy before it was rescinded, Rob Pilatus, died in 1998. Prior to Pilatus’ death, the two of them did go on to make independent recordings and do tour dates, under the moniker Rob & Fab, using their real voices, but with little success.)
Earlier this year, while promoting his memoir and fresh tour dates, Morvan told the Guardian that he has obtained the rights to the Milli Vanilli name. “For a long while I wasn’t allowed to use it. Now I’m playing concerts to thousands of people with a band and me singing, no backing tapes.”
So who is the other Mllli Vanilli that got much of the press reporting that the act had either pulled out of or was never set to do Freedom 250?
“The Real Milli Vanilli” consists of twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco, Brad Howell, John Davis and Charles Shaw, who sang on the original “Girl You Know It’s True” album, either as background vocalists or doing the actual lead vocals that were represented as Pilatus’ and Morvan’s.
“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli,’ as one of the performers,” Jodie Rocco wrote in an email sent to the Associated Press.
This faction did allow that someone might have been booked for the concert, but defiantly said: “Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs” — again, apparently referring to Morvan.
On her Facebook page Thursday, Jodie Rocco made it clear how little regard she has for Morvan and his efforts to perform the catalog.
“So, let me get this straight…. ‘Milli Vanilli’ will be represented by Fab Morvan, who never sang a note on any of the 46 tracks we recorded, is not a singer, never will be a singer, and was never hired by Frank Farian to be a singer. And according to this article, is on the road with actual backup singers. They appear in something called I Love The 90’s Tour. I guess Freedom 250 feels they exemplify the best of American music, even though they’re German and they’re fakes. If this is true, it is shamefully awful. And selfish. And denigrating to my sister Linda, me, Brad Howell, John Davis and Charles Shaw. Dragging our name through the muck and mire yet again.”
In the comments, Rocco continued, “Instead of re-hashing over and over and over music that you had nothing to do with, and now that the world knows who sang the tracks, whoever is managing his career should look at creating a new persona that fits and is far away from Milli Vanilli, and doesn’t continually ignore or denigrate those of us who created the sound. My opinion, of course.”
In response to another comment, she wrote, “Fab Morvan has done very little to keep our story relevant. He has never once mentioned the real singers as a group with the exception of John Davis. He is out for himself. My sister and I have kept the Milli Vanilli legacy alive for more than 37 years. And you are correct, we don’t get the credit we deserve. … The original vocalists were not contacted. Kind of hard to do a ‘Milli Vanilli’ concert without the original vocalists. And the original group are all Americans. The tribute band from Fab are not.”
Rocco is opinionated on many musical and political subjects, with other posts derogating Bad Bunny (“Thank God Turning Point USA is putting on a show that will change the way Americans watch the SB half-time show for years to come”), Billie Eilish (“Yo Billie, America was not stolen. It was conquered. That’s right, America was conquered and settled from nothing into the greatest country in the history of the world”) and Lady Gaga (“Jelly Roll reintroduced Jesus Christ to the nitwit crowd [at the Grammys]. Hopefully, they took notes. Maybe they can give some of those notes to Gaga”).
For Morvan’s part, it appears that sometimes he has been advertised for “I Love the 90s” package shows under his own name and sometimes as Milli Vanilli. Among the recent dates he’s done is a show at Irvine’s Great Park Live in February where he shared the bill with Vanilla Ice, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Color Me Badd and Tone Loc. Among the shows he has coming up are an “I Love the 90s” date in Rockford July 10.
The “Real Milli Vanilli” home page contains biographical background on the five singers who are grouped under that banner, but does not list any past or future concert dates.
Variety has reached out to Rocco and to Morvan’s reps for further comment on the dispute over who gets to carry the name.
As of Friday, Morvan was one of just two acts to have publicly declared he was definitely fulfilling the Freedom 250 booking, the other being Vanilla Ice. Five of the nine acts advertised have officially announced they were dropping out: Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day, Martina McBride and the Commodores. Freedom Williams of C&C Music Factory posted a video saying he was considering the option to drop out but was inclined to do the gig. (One of the co-founders of that group, Robert Clivillés, subsequently issued a statement distancing himself from Williams.) The only one of the nine acts not to have commented at all, as of Friday, is Flo Rida.