In a recent appearance on the Mic'd Up On a Tuesday podcast with Dexter Carr, Everett spoke candidly about the moment her then-boyfriend, fellow dancer John Silver, proposed to her during a live performance of "Single Ladies."
"That proposal was the beginning of the end, baby," Everett said, adding, "It was a proposal done for him, not me."
When Carr asked if she thought it was more of a grand gesture to boost his ego than a heartfelt moment, Everett agreed. "Yeah, and literally as soon as it happened, he was like, 'We went viral. Yes!'" she recalled. "It wasn't planned. We didn't talk about it. I was looking at [another dancer] like, 'Who allowed this? Why didn't you tell me? Why is he up here?' I was livid. Livid, now looking back."
She also pointed out a subtle but telling detail: "If you watch the video, I never actually say yes. I just nod my head."
The now-famous proposal happened during the St. Louis stop of the tour, when Beyoncé paused the music and said she had someone to bring on stage. Handing the mic to Silver, he approached Everett, took her hand, and made an emotional speech in front of thousands of fans before getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him. Everett nodded, the two hugged, and Beyoncé resumed her performance of "Single Ladies."
At the time, Everett and Silver had been together for six years. But three years later, in 2019, Everett revealed to Essence that they had gone their separate ways. Reflecting on the proposal, she shared, "I'm pretty low-key, so I don't need big gestures. I'm happy with a single rose on Valentine's Day, not a house full of flowers. That grand gesture didn't really feel like it was for me."
As time passed, Everett realized she kept postponing wedding plans and eventually had to face the tough questions. "Do I even want to get married? Do I want to marry him? Am I truly happy? Do I need to work on myself first?" she recalled.
Distance and the demands of their careers also played a role. "With work and travel came distance, and that meant we had to work harder at communicating," she explained. "Sometimes we'd go a day or two without speaking. We just weren't on the same page anymore."
Despite the public nature of the proposal, Everett admitted she struggled with guilt. "I started thinking, 'Am I letting people down? Beyoncé gave me this huge platform for our engagement.' But life happens. Things change."
