Celebs

DaniLeigh Slams Choreographer Who Questioned Her Role In Prince’s ‘Breakfast Can Wait’ Video

Early in her career as an entertainer, DaniLeigh secured an iconic musician as her mentor–the one and only Prince.Though she’s told the story many times, it often comes up in interviews. That was the case when DaniLeigh popped by The Breakfast Clubthis past week.

At one point in the conversation, Charlamagne Tha God brought up her connection to Prince. DaniLeigh explained how Prince discovered her and gave her an opportunity of a lifetime: a directing gig for his Breakfast Can Waitmusic video. However, before diving that deep, she also cleared up any floating rumors of a romance with Prince. Instead, she clarified that their interactions were limited to friendship and employment.

DaniLeigh said two of Prince’s dancers reached out to her on his behalf. They told her Prince wanted a dance video to a song. So, she developed the choreography and sent the footage to Prince. Prince asked her to direct the video and write a treatment. She complied, and that led to a phone call with Prince.

Breakfast Can WaitChoreographer Calls DaniLeigh Out Following Interview

One of the choreographers behind Breakfast Can Waitwasn’t feeling DaniLeigh’s commentary on the show. Nicole Kirkland repostedThe Shade Room’spost featuring DaniLeigh’s gig story above.

“Did the choreography??? But I did the choreography for the submission,” Nicole wrote on her Instagram Story. “And then I & @antoinetroupe choreographed the video.”

Nicole didn’t end her commentary there. In another post, she registered that Prince hired her for the choreography for the submission. Afterward, Nicole said she collaborated with Antoine Troupe for the final video dance moves.

Nicole added, “and honestly we helped direct it on the day because the shoot was a mess…but we can just let that part go.” She continued, “and there was a whole 12 dancers that were booked that can back that up. Man..”

DaniLeigh Claps Back At Chreogrpaher: “I Hired Y’All”

Chile, DaniLeigh didn’t bite her tongue in her response! She hopped intoThe Shade Room’scomment section and let loose on Nicole.

“Hi, I picked YALL and gave u the opportunity, you guys were jus selfish and wanted all the credit when u always got ur credit for choreography. I always say I directed it…never claim choreography, it’s on the credits of the video,” DaniLeigh wrote.

DaniLeigh also reiterated another part of her commentary with The Breakfast Clubhosts. It turns out that Prince solely discovered DaniLeigh via her Vine videos. So, she reminded Nicole of that fact in her clapback.

“Prince hand picked me, FOUND ME!! Wanted to give ME the opportunity, wanted to continue to help ME in my career…he didn’t continue to use Y’all for projects becus he saw how y’all did ME,” DaniLeigh wrote.

The singer kept going in on Nicole and Antoine’s alleged behavior on set. She reminded Nicole the opportunity was her “first biggest job,” and she allegedly screwed it up.

“…But y’all both wanted to be weird and act like I didn’t give u an opportunity of a lifetime,” DaniLeigh wrote. “But it’s all good…really not tripping…don’t need a thank u…just next time u see me in person don’t fake say hi to me…it’s just weird…get ur 15 mins u been longing for since 10 years ago.”

Dani concluded her blast with a lil’ sprinkle of shade, saying, “Prince ain’t hire s**t!!! He hired ME! I hired y’all.”

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Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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