Why Don’t We ‘Officially Going on Hiatus’ Amid Legal Battle With Former Management
Why Don’t We is going on a hiatus and canceling its long-awaited The Good Times Only Tour as they continue a heated legal battle with their former management company, Signature Entertainment, the boy band announced on Wednesday.
“All we ever want to do in our careers is make great music and perform for all you lovely people. In light of this announcement, Why Don’t We is officially going on hiatus,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Your love and support mean everything to us 5 guys. We love you!”
The group — comprising Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron, Jack Avery, Jonah Marais, and Corbyn Besson — pinned the cancelation of their coming tour to a cease and desist letter they said they received from Signature that prohibits them from entering an agreement “with any promoter or venue for this tour.”
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The group is set to face a hearing with the California Labor Commission in an attempt to remove itself from the Signature contract. The band previously accused David Loeffler, their former manager, of “mental, emotional, and financial abuse” last September.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances related to our ongoing legal battle to emancipate ourselves from the production company we signed with when we started our Why Don’t We journey, we regretfully have to cancel our 2022 Good Times Only Tour,” the band wrote.
The last-minute tour cancelation comes several months after they were also forced to postpone their tour and ticket sales due to “legal complications” regarding the court battle they’re currently facing with Loeffler’s management company.
The group broke their silence about the alleged abuse they say they faced at the hands of Loeffler in a statement last September.
“He would not only live with us during the day but controlled us 24/7, setting an alarm that would go off if any door or window was opened,” the group wrote in the lengthy statement. “We were not given the security code to the alarm, essentially making us hostages in our own home.”
The group also alleged that they were malnourished “to the point that some band members developed eating disorders” and that they were forced to “sneak food in and hide it in our dresser.” They wrote at the time, “We were verbally berated almost every day and alienated from our friends and families.”
Phillips similarly accused Loeffler of “nightmarish behavior” in his lawsuit. Why Don’t We have publicly supported Phillips in his attempt to remove Loeffler from Signature Entertainment.
The band was set to hit the road to promote their 2021 LP The Good Times and the Bad Ones. At the time of the LP’s release, they told People they were “forced to confront the ugly truth of our situation” following Signature’s attempt at legal action.
Why Don’t We formed in 2016 and released its debut album 8 Letters two years later, including two songs written by Ed Sheeran. Their 2021 LP featured production credits by Travis Barker, Skrillex, and Timbaland.
