Cheryl Burke claimed Billy Ray Cyrus “donkey-kicked” a crew member during Dancing With The Stars rehearsals.
Billy Ray, 62, has been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks, with his ex-wife Firerose, 34, recently claiming she suffered “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” during their brief romance.
Amid the messy divorce, professional dancer Cheryl, 40, opened up about a shocking interaction she had with the musician in 2007, when the two starred on Dancing With The Stars together.
Cheryl alleged during a recent episode of her podcast Sex, lies and spray tanning that she witnessed Billy Ray “being physically beaten”Urt’ the stage director.
She said he “donkey-kicked” the crew member “out of the blue” because he had asked the star to “get on his mark” during a dress rehearsal.
Cheryl Burke has claimed that Billy Ray Cyrus “donkey-kicked” a crew member during Dancing With The Stars rehearsals. They are seen together in 2014
Billy Ray, 62, has been embroiled in controversy recently: his ex-wife Firerose, 34, claimed she suffered “extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse” during their romance.
Amid the messy divorce, professional dancer Cheryl, 40, opened up about a shocking interaction she had with the musician in 2007, when the two starred on Dancing With The Stars together.
“I love Billy Ray very much. He was always very nice to me, but I have to tell you the story,” Cheryl told guest Jill Escoto on the episode that aired late last month.
‘We have a dress rehearsal right before we go live, about two hours before the show, and we do it like it’s the real thing, except it’s like an adult version because (host) Tom Bergeron was always talking nonsense and it was so funny.’
She added that while everyone was joking and laughing, they also “took the dancing very seriously” during the dress rehearsal.
“We still had to get in shape,” he explained.
But when a stage manager asked Billy Ray to “get on his mark” so “the director could light him,” he said the Achy Breaky Heart singer ignored him.
Cheryl claimed the stage manager repeated his question several times, when suddenly, Billy Ray, fed up, became aggressive with him.
“(The stage manager) had asked for it three or four times and Billy Ray kicked him out of nowhere. He kicked him like a donkey,” he continued.
He said he knew the stage manager “personally” and had been “very nice” to Billy Ray before that.
Cheryl claimed during a recent episode of her podcast that she witnessed Billy Ray “physically hurt” the stage manager. He is seen on the show with his dance partner Karina Smirnoff.
She said he gave the crew member a “donkey kick” “out of the blue” because he had asked the star to “get into his place” during a dress rehearsal. He and Karina appear on the show.
‘DDon’t kick him, and much less, don’t “He didn’t kick anybody,” he complained. “He became a mess. His time was up after that.” It wasn’t good. It came out of nowhere.
When Jill asked if perhaps it had been “an accident,” Cheryl insisted that it was clear to those around her that it was not.
He also theorized that Billy Ray might have been tense because he had been “getting shit from the judges.”
‘No that was it Very intentional. Maybe he was nervous, but you can’t see it physically.“Hurt someone,” he said.
“You have to do your job. We are I’m not doing it for free either, by the way.
She and Billy Ray appeared on the show’s fourth season; he and his dance partner, Karina Smirnoff ended up being eliminated seventh, while Cheryl and her teammate Ian Ziering were ousted an episode later.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Billy Ray and Dancing With The Stars for comment.
Billy Ray filed for divorce from Firerose in late May, just seven months after they got married.
She claimed the reasons for their separation were irreconcilable differences and “inappropriate marital conduct.”
In addition, it was reported that MY! that Billy Ray filed for annulment, claiming the marriage had been entered into fraudulently.
According to court documents, ‘He consented to the marriage based on the wife’s fraud, that if she had known he would not have entered into the marriage.’
It has also been said that Billy Ray insisted that Firerose move out of the house they shared in Nashville, Tennessee by May 23.
“(The stage manager) had asked for it three or four times, and Billy Ray kicked him out of nowhere. He kicked him like a donkey,” she said. He was seen on DWTS with Miley in 2007.
Amid Billy Ray’s split from Firerose, DailyMail.com has exclusively obtained an audio tape showing the country star mocking, belittling and harassing his ex.
Earlier this month, she filed a motion to recover the property, alleging that her ex-husband refused to allow her to return to the house to remove her belongings.
In his response to the motion, Billy Ray cited a July 11 Page Six report in which Firerose discussed her previous arrest that led to her spending 60 days in jail.
“This arrest was unknown to Mr. Cyrus and because (Firerose) had previously lied and concealed things about his life before Mr. Cyrus, his attorney, began further investigating (his) statements,” the documents state.
However, text messages obtained by DailyMail.com appear to contradict those claims, showing that the country star had been involved in conversations in which his wife openly referenced the incident.
A November 2023 group chat conversation with Billy Ray, his wife, and his manager and publicist Scott Adkins shows the three discussing a new song inspired by Firerose’s dark times, including their stint in jail.
In court documents, Firerose also claimed Billy Ray was “unpredictable and volatile” due to alleged substance abuse issues.
The Australian singer claimed she felt “unsafe” with him in her Nashville home and said she “had to seek psychological treatment with her therapist for emergency sessions on more than one occasion.”
Billy Ray quickly responded, claiming in his own documents that it was Firerose who was the abuser in the marriage, not him.
The documents say: ‘While Plaintiff would acknowledge that he certainly expressed himself, felt frustrated and angry with Defendant in May 2024, it is Plaintiff who has, in fact, been abused.
‘Not only verbally and emotionally by the accused, but also PHYSICALLY abused by him.’
Billy Ray also accused his wife of racking up $96,986 worth of “fraudulent charges” on his credit cards, claiming that Firerose was never authorized as a signer on his cards or accounts; a judge ordered her to stop using his credit cards.
Earlier this week, DailyMail.com exclusively obtained an audio tape showing the country star taunting, belittling and bullying his much younger wife in a relentless and brutal attack.
During the confrontation, which appeared to stem from Billy Ray’s fury at being too late to take the stage for a show, he warned her: “If you would have just left him alone, I’m very pissed off now, proving to you once again that you won’t listen to me.”
Hours later, she addressed the recording by posting a statement on her Instagram Stories, writing: “Yes, I was on the verge of a breakdown.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you won’t listen to me… This has nothing to do with anything, it’s about you being a selfish fucking bitch.”
Billy Ray continued his expletive-laden rant, sneering, “I don’t think you’re very smart, I changed my mind about that shit. What I think you are is a selfish fucking bitch. That’s what you are.”
As she begged him to “please stop yelling,” he told her: “This wouldn’t be happening if you’d just shut your fucking mouth. Look at the fucking mess you’ve made.”
“What an idiot (you are)… because you have to know that I’m not going to tolerate that shit. You just fucked up… fuck you. You know that’s not the case. You fucking idiot.”
Hours later, she addressed the recording by posting a statement on her Instagram Stories.
“Of course I was, I was on the verge of collapse,” he began, before unleashing a furious explanation about his temper.
‘As the days went by, I started to realize that something was wrong. And that was before I knew she was an impostor.
“I knew something was wrong. That was before I knew she was David Hodge’s ex-wife.
“That was before I knew her parents’ last name. I had no idea she had been arrested for burglary.
“I saw before my very eyes that everything I thought I knew about her was a lie. She was trying to take over my career, my life, and usurp the Cyrus name for her own benefit.”
Billy Ray ended the statement by saying, “See you in court.”
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