Cheryl Burke claims Billy Ray Cyrus ‘donkey kicked’ a crew member during Dancing With The Stars rehearsals as his messy divorce from Firerose rages on

Cheryl Burke has claimed that 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 – as ex-wife Firerose, 34, recently claimed that she endured ‘extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse‘ during their short-lived romance.

Amid the messy divorce, professional dancer Cheryl, 40, spoke out about a shocking interaction that she had with the musician back in 2007, when they both starred on Dancing With The Stars together.

Cheryl alleged during a recent episode of her podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans that she witnessed Billy Ray ‘physically hurt’ the stage manager.

She said he ‘donkey kicked’ the crew member ‘out of nowhere’ 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’re seen together in 2014

Billy Ray, 62, has been embroiled in controversy recently – as ex-wife Firerose, 34, claimed that she endured ‘extreme verbal, emotional and psychological abuse’ during their romance

Amid the messy divorce , professional dancer Cheryl, 40, spoke out about a shocking interaction that she had with the musician back in 2007, when they both starred on Dancing With The Stars together

‘I love Billy Ray. He was always so nice to me. But I have to tell you the story,’ Cheryl told guest Jill Escoto in the episode, which aired late last month.

‘We have dress rehearsal right before we go live, about two hours prior to the show, and we do this as if it’s the real thing, except it’s like an R-rated version because [host] Tom Bergeron would always just talk s**t and it was so funny.’

She added that while they would all joke around and laugh, they also ‘took their dancing very seriously’ during the dress rehearsal. 

‘We still had to get on our marks,’ she explained.

But when a stage manager asked Billy Ray to ‘get on his mark’ so ‘the director could light him,’ she said the Achy Breaky Heart crooner ignored him.

Cheryl claimed the stage manager repeated his inquiry multiple times, when suddenly, a fed up Billy Ray got physical with him.

‘[The stage manager had] been asking like three, four times by then, and Billy Ray kicked him out of nowhere. Straight up donkey kicked him,’ she continued.

She said she knew the stage manager ‘personally’ and that he had been ‘so nice’ to Billy Ray before that. 

Cheryl alleged during a recent episode of her podcast that she witnessed Billy Ray ‘physically hurt’ the stage manager. He’s seen on the show with dance partner Karina Smirnoff

She said he ‘donkey kicked’ the crew member ‘out of nowhere’ because he had asked the star to ‘get on his mark’ during a dress rehearsal. He and Karina are seen on the show

‘Don’t kick him, let alone, don’t kick anyone,’ she scathed. ‘It turned into a hot mess. His time was up after that. It was not OK. It came out of nowhere.’

When Jill asked if maybe it had been ‘an accident,’ Cheryl insisted that to those around him, it was clear that it wasn’t.

She also theorized that Billy Ray might have been tense because he had been ‘getting c**p from the judges.’ 

‘No, it was very much intentional. Maybe he was nervous, but you can’t physically hurt somebody,’ she stated.

‘You need to do your job. We’re not doing this for free either, by the way.’

She and Billy Ray both appeared in season four of the show; he and his dance partner, Karina Smirnoff, ended up getting eliminated seventh, while Cheryl and her teammate Ian Ziering were kicked off one episode later.

DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Billy Ray and Dancing With The Stars for comment. 

Billy Ray filed from divorce from Firerose in late May – just seven months after they tied the knot.

He claimed both irreconcilable differences and ‘inappropriate marital conduct’ as the reasons behind their separation.

Additionally, it was reported by E! that Billy Ray requested an annulment, alleging the marriage was entered into fraudulently. 

Per court documents, ‘He gave consent to marriage based on fraud by the wife, that had he known he would not have entered into the bonds of matrimony.’ 

It’s also been said that Billy Ray insisted Firerose move out of the home they shared in Nashville, Tennessee by May 23.

‘[The stage manager had] been asking three, four times, and Billy Ray kicked him out of nowhere. Straight up donkey kicked him,’ she said. He’s seen on DWTS with Miley in 2007

Amid Billy Ray’s split from Firerose, DailyMail.com exclusively obtained an audio tape that featured the country star mocking, belittling, and bullying her

Earlier this month, she filed a motion to retrieve property, claiming her estranged husband refused to let her return to the home to remove her belongings. 

In his response to the motion, Billy Ray cited a July 11 Page Six report in which Firerose spoke about her previous arrest that saw her spend 60 days in jail. 

‘This arrest was something that Mr. Cyrus was unaware of and because [Firerose] had previously lied and concealed things about her life before Mr. Cyrus, his counsel, began looking further into [her] statements,’ the documents state. 

However, text messages obtained by DailyMail.com appear to contradict those claims, showing 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 her stint in jail. 

In court filings, Firerose also claimed that Billy Ray was ‘unpredictable and volatile’ due to alleged substance abuse issues.

The Australian singer alleged that she felt ‘unsafe’ with him in their Nashville home and said she ‘had to seek psychological treatment from her therapist for emergency sessions on more than one occasion.’

Billy Ray was quick to respond, claiming in his own filings that it was Firerose who was the abusive one in the marriage, not him. 

Documents read: ‘While the plaintiff would acknowledge that he was certainly vocal, frustrated, and angry with the defendant in May 2024, it is the plaintiff who, in fact, has been abused. 

‘Not only verbally and emotionally by the defendant, but also PHYSICALLY abused by the defendant.’ 

Billy Ray also accused his wife of running 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; she was ordered by a judge to stop using his credit cards.

Earlier this week, DailyMail.com exclusively obtained an audio tape that featured the country star mocking, belittling, and bullying his much younger wife in a relentless and brutal onslaught.

During the confrontation, which seemed to stem over Billy Ray’s fury at being made too late to go on stage for a show, he warned her: ‘If you had just left it the f**k alone, now I’m really f**king pissed, once again showing you will not listen. 

He addressed the recording hours later by posting a statement to his Instagram Stories, writing, ‘Hell yeah I was at my wit’s end’

‘I don’t know who the f**k you think you are, but you will not listen… This ain’t about nothing, this is about you being a selfish f**king b***h.’ 

Continuing his expletive-laden rant, Billy Ray sneered: ‘I don’ think you’re real smart, I’ve changed my mind on that s**t. What I think you are is a selfish f**king b***h. That’s what you are.’

As she begged him to ‘please stop shouting,’ he told her: ‘This would not be happening if you had just shut your f**king mouth. Look what a f**king mess you’ve made.

‘What a dumb ass [you are] …’cos you have to know I will not tolerate that s**t. You just f**ked up…f**k you. You know better than that. F**king idiot.’

He addressed the recording hours later by posting a statement to his Instagram Stories. 

‘Hell yeah I was at my wit’s end,’ he began, before unleashing a furious explanation for his temperament. 

‘As every day went by, I started realizing something was wrong. And that’s before I knew she was a fraud.

‘I just knew something wasn’t right. That was before I knew she was David Hodges ex-wife. 

‘That’s before I knew her parents last name. I had no idea she was arrested for felony residential burglary. 

‘I saw before my very own eyes, 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 own gain.’

Billy Ray finished the statement with: ‘See you in court.’