DWTS Winner’s Triumph: Time 100 Lists Her Among the World’s Most Influential—Here’s Why!

Nicole Scherzinger, 46, was named to Time’s “100 Most Influential People” list released April 16, 2025.

The former Pussycat Dolls member was selected for her outstanding performance in the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical “Sunset Boulevard.”

“Agatha All Along” star Patti LuPone wrote a special tribute to Scherzinger for the issue. The American actress and singer called the multitalented popstar’s performance in the show “courageous, audacious, mesmerizing, elegantly beautiful, and ultimately heartbreaking.”

LuPone went on, ” I left the theater energized. And it’s made all the more stunning by watching her transition from a pop singer to a bona fide Broadway star. All audiences want is to be assured the actors onstage are in command.”

The “Right There” songstress said on Instagram that she was “deeply honored” for the accolade. She also thanked LuPone for her words of recognition, saying, “Patti, to receive this from you, someone I’ve admired my whole life, I am humbled.”

Scherzinger and her dance partner Derek Hough became “Dancing With the Stars” champions of the show’s tenth season, which aired in 2010. The duo bested runners up Anna Trebunskaya and figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek to take the crown.

Nicole Scherzinger Previously Revealed How She Really Felt About Being Ousted from ‘The X Factor’

Simon Cowell brought an American version of “The X Factor” to Hollywood in September 2011, after much speculation about what the British music mogul would do next after his “American Idol” departure. Scherzinger was cast as a host alongside judges Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, and Cheryl Cole.

The party was short-lived, as Abdul and Scherzinger were unceremoniously ousted from the cast after one season. But Scherzinger didn’t seem to harbor any ill will, telling Today of the firing, “I have no regrets.”

“Well, all I know is I gave 110% to that show,” Scherzinger explained, before saying, ““I know everybody’s talking about it, they’re saying good, bad, they love me or hate me, but the one thing you can’t say is that I didn’t give it my all.”

Why Nicole Scherzinger Left ‘The Pussycat Dolls’

E! Online says Scherzinger told the U.K. Newspaper The Times in 2024 that her situation during her time in the girl group was “a recipe for disaster.” Despite being “really proud” of the music the group created, she called her stint with the band “really difficult.”

She said she and her bandmates were under the control of harsh management whose philosophy was to “work them to the bone until they’re passed out.” Chronic sleeping issues were just one ailment she experienced as a result.

Scherzinger said she is now in a happier place, calling herself “very hopeful” about the future.