Usher removed a fan from the stage during his concert in Nashville on Saturday after she appeared visibly uncomfortable with his serenade. The 47-year-old singer, known for inviting fans on stage for personal performances, was co-headlining the R&B tour with Chris Brown when the incident occurred.
Viral video shows Usher stopping performance
A clip of the moment, which has been viewed 17 million times on Instagram, shows a shirtless Usher tipping the woman back on an on-stage bed. After the fan awkwardly smiled, Usher stopped and told the crowd: 'I don't think she wants to be on the stage?' He then waved his hand to indicate she should be escorted off the stage.
Fans praised Usher for noticing the fan's discomfort, while others joked that his ego seemed bruised. The fan, identified as Gabrielle Cheyenne, later took to social media to defend herself.
Fan explains her side of the story
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Cheyenne wrote: 'First off NOBODY is declining to go on stage. I looked good asf, you think I wasn't going to let THOUSANDS of people see me?' She claimed she had been moved from floor seats to VIP due to 'pretty privileges' and that she did not know she would be going up for Usher. 'They don't say who you're going up there for!' she wrote. 'Y'all wanted me to go up there and f*** him atp?'
Cheyenne's aunt, Tia Byrd, posted a statement on Facebook saying Cheyenne had a 'nice conversation' with Usher's wife, Jennifer Goicoechea, after leaving the stage. Byrd wrote: 'I don't care what anyone else would do but at least she had enough respect for her mom and dad, boyfriend, brother, AND CHILD! At the end of the day, she went home to her man and HE went home to HIS WIFE!'
Cheyenne continues to defend herself
Cheyenne posted a series of selfies with the caption 'Unbothered' and continued to defend herself on her Instagram Story on Sunday. She wrote: 'My attitude isn't "nasty" until I'm provoked!! Y'all aren't gonna get on the internet calling me out my name and disrespecting me and expect me to keep it cool! Don't think that y'all are gonna bully me about an experience that y'all didn't get!'
Usher and Chris Brown's ongoing tour
Usher is currently on a 33-date stadium tour with Chris Brown, which kicked off last month and is named R&B after their surnames. The tour concludes at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in December. Brown recently pleaded guilty to affray over a 2023 altercation at a London nightclub, in which a man was hit over the head with a bottle. He faces a jury trial on October 26 after pleading not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Abraham Diaw.
