Usher isn’t breaking up marriages like social media suggests.
Chicago resident Jimalita Tillman went viral last week after footage of her sharing a hot moment with Usher at his London show exploded online. The TikTok video showed Tillman locked in intense eye contact with the R&B star as he dangled cherries above her mouth.
She seemed totally captivated, and a viral tweet claimed her husband filed for divorce after the clip spread. But there’s just one problem – she’s not even married.
Speaking to Chicago’s WGN9, Tillman explained she “locked right in” when Usher picked her from the crowd. “When he came around with those cherries, I said, ‘Well, life is a bowl of cherries, I’ll take one, maybe two,'” she shared, noting that people online have started calling her ‘Aunty Cherry.’
“He wasn’t even supposed to stop where we were! It was like magnetic. And he smells like vacation,” she added while describing her concert experience. “One of the young ladies was telling him I’m a retired homeschool mom and that this should be her moment. … So he brought me closer and I locked in. I brought out all the Broadway magic that I had, but it was easy! He has a magnetic personality. And I’m really excited about this opportunity because now Harold Washington is getting a lot of play and people are following things my daughter is doing!”
When questioned about the divorce rumor, she immediately shut it down.
“That is completely false. I am single. I am a retired homeschool mom looking to expand the arts here and across the pond. I am single. You got a cherry, give me a jingle,” she declared. Tillman was asked if she’d talked to Usher since going viral but confirmed she hadn’t. “I don’t want him to be uncomfortable, or anybody in his camp to be uncomfortable. I am embracing the moment. The moment was beautiful. But when it comes to fan fiction or whatever that story is that’s out there, I am single. I am so happy the way Chicago has been supporting me.”
Tillman serves as the global director for the Harold Washington Cultural Center, a non-profit in Chicago, and last week she posted about her eventful work trip to London on Instagram. “I went to London to check out venues for a theater festival we are producing,” she wrote alongside the video clip, shown below.
