Usher boots fan offstage after steamy moment turns awkward
Updated . First published at
A fan has hit back at criticism after what was meant to be a steamy onstage moment with Usher turned very awkward.
In a viral moment from the 47-year-old singer’s performance in Nashville, nurse Gabrielle Cheyenne appeared uncomfortable as he performed a sensual dance routine to his 2004 song, Can U Handle It?, while she was sat on a prop bed.
Usher quickly clocked the fan was uncomfortable. Instagram/@malaysiarosee
Usher noticed she wasn’t enthused, telling the crowd: “I don’t think she wanna be on the stage.”
In fan footage, Usher walked away from her and waved his hand, signalling for her to leave as some in the crowd began to boo.
After it was published online by a fellow concertgoer, thousands of comments began to roast Cheyenne, questioning why she had gone up on stage in the first place if she was not into it.
Cheyenne, 24, defended herself on Facebook, explaining that she and her mother had floor seats for the show.
“Their team approached us and moved us to VIP before the show even started,” she said, attributing it to “pretty privileges”.
She continued on Instagram, insisting her attitude was not “nasty”.
“Ya’ll don’t know me in real life! I’m quiet and keep to myself but don’t think that ya’ll are gonna bully me about an experience that ya’ll didn’t get,” she wrote.
She also posted a series of selfies, captioning them with the simple message, “Unbothered”.
Her aunt, Tia Byrd, also came to her defence, saying that after leaving the stage Cheyenne had a nice conversation with Usher’s wife, music executive Jennifer Goicoechea.
Cheyenne hit back at criticism online. Instagram/@gabrielle.cheyenne
“I don’t care what anyone else would do, but at least she had enough respect for her mum and dad, boyfriend, brother and child,” Byrd wrote.
“At the end of the day she went home to her man and he went home to his wife.”
Usher is known for his provocative on-stage fan interactions.
The bed segment Cheyenne found herself part of has been a regular inclusion during his The R&B Tour, co-headlined with Chris Brown, with Usher serenading a different fan each night during the X-rated performance.
