Was Huda a Stripper? Inside the ‘Love Island USA’ Star’s “Midnight Ballerina” Allegations

One of the favorite side quests among Love Island USA fans is to find out as much about an Islander's background as they can and bring it to the internet. In Season 7 of the Peacock series, several cast members' past controversies resurfaced, including old posts with racial slurs and questionable political views.

Perhaps one of the wildest Love Island witch hunts has been fans' suspicions about Huda Mustafa's profession before joining the dating competition. During the season, Huda stunned us with her steamy dance moves, which she flaunted in several challenges, including one where she twerked in front of the icon Megan Thee Stallion.

The mother of one's ability to shake what her mama gave her has some wondering how she learned to dance like that. So, was Huda a stripper? Let's dive in!

Despite our emotional queen loving a good twerk or a thousand, there's no evidence confirming that she was a stripper in a past life. Huda's moves, as steamy as they can be, were developed during her time as a professional dancer.

According to The U.S. Sun, Huda was part of a dance company called the PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, N.C., before joining Love Island. She participated in the company’s six-week Summer Youth Conservatory.

Huda also has a background in theatre and played Roxy in the company's production of Cabaret shortly after graduating from high school in North Carolina. PlayMakers offers other creative arts classes, though exotic dancing isn't one of them.

Huda continued sharing her love for dance on social media. In multiple pre-Love Island TikTok posts, she is seen dancing and lip-syncing to trending sounds before ultimately focusing on fitness content. However, few suspected she had a stripper past until her Love Island debut.

Although nothing is tying Huda to the exotic dancer life, besides her ability to shake her booty mid-headstand, to some fans, she's never going to hide from the fact that many are convinced she was a "midnight ballerina." Did your mind immediately go to an actual ballerina ground plié-ing in the dusk? I hate to break it to you, but this isn't what you're looking for.

Midnight ballerina grew in popularity on TikTok following Huda's Love Island activities. The term is a popular euphemism for an exotic dancer, though it can also be used to describe a pole or burlesque dancer. Many content creators have mentioned midnight ballerina in their posts, with one popular trend being "I am never beating those midnight ballerina allegations."

According to Her Campus, while the midnight ballerina's TikTok prominence coincided with the time Love Island USA fans first experienced Huda's dance moves, the phrase isn't a new concept. The term is also the title of Cori Williams' book, which follows the main character, a ballerina with dreams, who is forced into the exotic dancing world to make ends meet.

While Huda seemingly doesn't have midnight ballerina problems, many still believe she could've started exotic dancing to pay the bills for her and her daughter, Arleigh (she's a mommy, after all). Others felt that the Islander's flirty nature is a dead giveaway that she may be used to being of service to men around her. Regardless, if Huda hasn't said she's a midnight ballerina, who are we to judge?

Stream Love Island USA on Peacock.