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Woman responds after Usher kicked her off stage due to her awkward response to his 'sexual' performance
Michelle H.
An onstage serenade by Usher took an unexpected turn in Nashville during a stop on The R&B Tour, which he is co-headlining with Chris Brown.
The 47-year-old singer pulled a fan from the audience onto the stage for what was supposed to be a steamy, intimate performance. However, the interaction quickly became incredibly awkward as the woman appeared visibly uncomfortable with the attention.
As a shirtless Usher began singing to the fan, identified as Gabrielle Cheyenne, she sat stiffly and offered only a tight smile. The R&B superstar tried to salvage the moment by lightly touching her chin and face, but when he attempted to guide her toward an onstage bed, she pulled back.
Recognizing the lack of chemistry, Usher backed off and addressed the crowd. "I don't think she want to be on the stage, huh?" he asked the audience. He then told the crowd, "I don't think she wanna be onstage, y'all," before completely stepping away and signaling for her to be removed from the stage.
The moment quickly went viral, prompting heavy online criticism from fans who believed she wasted a rare opportunity. Many users roasted her for her reserved reaction, arguing that she should have never agreed to go up if she did not want to participate. The negative feedback prompted Cheyenne to take to social media to defend herself and clarify what happened.
The fan defends her spotlight moment
Cheyenne used her platform to fire back at the critics who claimed she should have turned down the opportunity. She made it clear that she was more than happy to be seen by the crowd, even if she did not want to get overly physical with the singer.
"First off NOBODY is declining to go on stage," she wrote. "I looked good asf, you think I wasn’t going to let THOUSANDS of people see me?"
She explained that she and her mom originally had floor seats for the concert. Before the show began, Usher's team approached them and upgraded them to the VIP section due to what she described as "pretty privileges."
However, the staff did not specify what her role would be later in the evening. "They don’t say who you’re going up there for!" she wrote, pointing out that Chris Brown was also on the bill. She mocked the high expectations of the internet audience, adding, "Y’all wanted me to go up there and f**k him atp?"
Standing firm against online bullying
As the backlash continued into Sunday, Cheyenne posted selfies with the caption "Unbothered 😘" to show she was not letting the commentary ruin her experience. She also used her Instagram Stories to emphasize that her quiet demeanor should not be mistaken for a bad attitude.
"Y’all aren’t gonna get on the internet calling me out my name and disrespecting me and expect me to keep it cool!" she expressed. She added, "Don’t think that yall are gonna bully me about an experience that yall didn’t get!"
Cheyenne argued that her attitude only turns "nasty" when she is provoked by online strangers. While she acknowledges being a quiet person in real life, she made it clear that she has no regrets about how she handled the high-pressure situation.
Ultimately, she was glad to take the spotlight, but she simply was not prepared to give Usher the highly sexualized reaction that his fan base expected.