A recent Usher show nearly took a dangerous turn when the “My Boo” hitmaker attempted to feed one of his trademark cherries to a woman who turned out to have a cherry allergy.
Usher’s concerts have become famous for a steamy routine where he feeds cherries to women in the crowd who then eat them as seductively as possible.
Though Usher’s bodyguard apparently despises the bit, fans can’t get enough of it, and these moments frequently go viral online—so Usher keeps the cherry-feeding tradition alive whenever possible.
Footage of one of these cherished (pun intended) moments showed Usher making eye contact with a fan, exchanging some quick small talk, and going to feed her from his stash of cherries.
When he brought the cherries near his face, the woman tried to warn him about something important, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying.
Of course, Usher tried again. And again. The woman had to lean in even closer to explain what she’d been trying to tell him: She had a cherry allergy.
Once Usher finally caught on that she was allergic to cherries, he quickly cracked a joke to ease the tension. “Does anybody have an Epipen in this bitch?” he asked the crowd.
Back in April, Usher announced he wouldn’t be feeding any fans cherries during his show in the United Arab Emirates, probably due to the country’s strict public decency laws.
While performing at Club Social in Abu Dhabi, Usher apologized to the thousands of fans in attendance for skipping the signature move, promising that his “love” and “heart” would make up for it.
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen. No, I will not be giving any cherries out tonight,” Usher said, causing the audience to let out a collective groan. “But I have nothing but love for you. I give you my heart in exchange for the cherries. I give you my love in exchange for the cherries tonight.”
