Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Deny Victoria Kalina’s Birthday Story
Everything is not what it seems.
Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has taken over the internet, prompting questions about the team’slow pay and unhealthy work environments. One moment in the seven-episode docuseries has brought on a lot of speculation, when the other members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) seemingly ditched Victoria Kalina’s birthday party. In the show, Kalina ended up celebrating her birthday with her mother — none of her fellow cheerleaders showed up.
During a July 7 episode of the Be There In Five podcast, Kalina opened up about that moment. “We had an appearance that morning and that’s when [Netflix] had asked, ‘Hey, can we come film? Can we come celebrate with you?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah,’” she told podcast host Kate Kennedy.
According to Kalina, she invited the other cheerleaders. “I word-of-mouth and vocalized, ‘Hey, Netflix is coming. There’s gonna be cake [and] the more the merrier.’ But, I guess it just didn’t trickle along,” she said.
She said her DCC teammates often “brushed aside” did “not fully acknowledge” what she said, and pointed out that the team regularly came together to celebrate other cheerleaders’ birthdays. However, other DCC members are now speaking out, and they have a different perspective on the birthday story.
DCC’s Kelcey Wetterberg, Jessica Bowman, McKenzie Sherman Hughston, and Zhenya Kolpakova all commented on a TikTok from the podcast interview, denying Kalina’s version of events. According to them, Kalina never invited them to her birthday festivities.
“We take bdays very seriously around here & would have been there if we had known! We decorated her locker per Dcc tradition, but we wish we could have been given the opportunity to be at her party,” Wetterberg wrote.
Bowman left a similar comment: “Would have loved to have been there to celebrate Victoria had I been given the opportunity. Praying she comes to realize how much the team really did support her.”
Sherman Hughston commented, “We would have absolutely rallied around her.” Kolpakova added, “It breaks my heart that it has come to this. I hope you know that we support you, love you, and would never have just not shown up to your birthday.”
