Beyoncé’s Dance Captain Ashley Everett Apologizes After Claiming She Was ‘Kicked Off’ Cruise Ship Stage While Dancing to ‘Single Ladies’

Charmaine Patterson, Natalia SenanayakeThu, April 23, 2026 at 8:01 PM UTC

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Ashley Everett in June 2023Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock -

Ashley Everett, known for being Beyoncé's longtime dance captain, claimed she was kicked off a stage on a Virgin Voyages cruise while performing "Single Ladies"

She's since deleted the posts and shared an update that the situation was a misunderstanding

Virgin says the incident was a "safety-based decision made in the moment" and "not directed at any one individual"

Choreographer Ashley Everett is setting the record straight after saying she was kicked off a stage while performing one of Beyoncé's biggest hits on a Virgin Voyages cruise.

"I want to clear something up from my birthday trip with @virginvoyages," the 37-year-old dance captain, who performed alongside the superstar for about 17 years, wrote in a Threads post on Wednesday, April 22. "After getting more clarity, I realized the situation I spoke about involved other guests—not the Virgin team. That part matters, and I take full responsibility for misdirecting that frustration."

Addressing the Virgin crew, she added, "I sincerely apologize. You’ve been nothing but supportive and intentional in resolving everything, and I truly appreciate that."

The dancer previously took to Threads on Monday, April 20, and called out the cruise line, first writing in a since-deleted tweet, "Virgin voyages wants black creators and all their sauce—but doesn’t acknowledge, highlight, or actually know them…??? Weird. @virginvoyages."

Beyonce, Ashley Everett in Single Ladies videoCredit: Sony

Everett, who said she had been invited on the content creators cruise, claimed she was "kicked off the @virginvoyages club stage while dancing to the SINGLE LADIES song ... all because someone complained..."

"They kicked me off," she added. "I left—immediately after they let all the complaining white folks up on that same stage. FYI."

Everett continued by pointing out, "I'm in the single ladies music video btw," adding, "I know they’re not cause it’s only three of us lol."

"Virgin—do better. Know and LEARN your crowd," she wrote. PEOPLE has reached out to Everett for comment.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a Virgin Voyages spokesperson said the incident was a result of a "safety-based decision made in the moment" and was "not directed at any one individual."

Credit: Virgin Voyages

"We're aware of the experience Ashley shared and want to provide some context," the statement began. "During a late-night set at The Manor, a number of Sailors joined the stage, which isn't something we typically allow. As the group moved into the DJ area, our Crew stepped in to address what had become a safety concern and asked everyone on stage to continue the celebration from the dance floor."

The cruise line claims they reached out to Everett "to listen and better understand her experience" as "creating a welcoming, inclusive environment is core to who we are."

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"This sailing was intentionally curated to bring together a diverse group of creators across backgrounds and communities. We take any suggestion of discrimination seriously, and we remain committed to making sure every Sailor feels respected while keeping our spaces safe for everyone on board," the company concluded.

Credit: Courtesy of Virgin Voyages

After meeting with Everett, Virgin shared a further update on the situation.

"Ashley has since deleted her original Threads post, and in that time, we’ve seen others in the online community share additional perspectives on what transpired, along with reflections on the positive atmosphere we strive to create on every sailing," a spokesperson told PEOPLE on Wednesday. "We remain committed to making sure every Sailor feels respected while keeping our spaces safe for everyone on board."

Everett also shared in another post that she had a negative experience on night one of the cruise, asking her 109,000 Threads followers, "Do we need a story time?!"

She shared that she is on the influencers' trip to celebrate her birthday with a brand "who I’ve since learned doesn’t give a flying f*%# about me." She said she still has two days left on the cruise, and called out the brand for allegedly not doing anything to make her birthday "special."

"They better not try to blacklist me either cause that would be even more obvious they hate me. LOL," she concluded.

Credit: Rich Fury/Getty

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After appearing in Beyoncé's earlier music videos like "Get Me Bodied" and "Greenlight" from the singer's 2006 sophomore solo album B'Day, Everett was named her dance captain in 2009. She was notably one of two dancers who starred alongside Beyoncé in her "Single Ladies" video, which has garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube.

In 2023, she exclusively told PEOPLE why she did not join Beyoncé for her global Renaissance Tour.

"Obviously working with Beyoncé has been incredible and I've learned so much from her," she said, adding, "all of my adulthood has been spent working with her."

Everett, who later reunited with Beyoncé for her halftime performance on Christmas Day in 2024, continued: "I feel like the pandemic was super transformative for me. It was the first time I was able to sit down and stay home and pour into me, fill up my cup. I'm not getting any younger and now I've been able to dive into other ventures and opportunities that I've always wanted to explore. It's a new journey — the renaissance of Ashley Everett essentially."

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