Cheryl Burke Slams ‘Bullying’ in ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fandom: ‘Not Something I Promote’ (Exclusive)

Former Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is keeping up with all the season 34 hot takes online — but she has no time for “bullying.”

“I’ve been watching closely, obviously, but even if I wasn’t judging, I’d be watching,” Burke exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of her “surreal” return to DWTS as a guest judge on the Tuesday, October 28, episode. “I’m a fan of the show, and this season especially, these TikToks have been very entertaining lately, I must say. These people who really are convincing me that they’re ballroom experts, you know, and it’s fascinating to see the community that has been built, but the bullying is what should stop is not something that I promote, obviously. However, I do promote people’s opinions, and I love that people are very passionate about the show.”

Throughout season 34, which premiered in September, fans have flocked to social media to share their opinions — enthusiastic or otherwise — about the celebs and their pros. Burke, who told Us she hopes to “empower” the remaining contestants as the competition heats up, chalks up the heightened chatter to the growing DWTS audience.

“I think it’s just a lot of new fans that don’t know, maybe, or are not familiar with the show. … What we’re seeing [this season] is nothing new,” Burke explained.

The choreographer pointed to Andy Richter‘s continued presence in the competition as an example of how little changes on DWTS over the years. “This has happened many seasons prior to this one. As far as dance experience, nothing new there,” she told Us.

For Burke, the biggest difference is how much access fans are given through social media. “Mark [Ballas] is showing behind the scenes of what he does, and people think it’s favoritism,” Burke continued. “It’s not favoritism. … Some of the pros that I’ve experienced, they know people behind-the-scenes and know what they can ask for.”

Burke — who left DWTS in 2022 after 26 seasons — isn’t the only one who’s taken notice of some negativity this year. Hilaria Baldwin claimed “mean girls” online were partly to blame for her early elimination from season 34 with partner Gleb Savchenko.

“I’m very new to TikTok. … I guess what people were doing is they were having campaigns where they wouldn’t just vote for their favorite — because you can vote 10 times for a couple — they were voting for all the other couples except us, so they were boosting everybody else and trying to drown out my fan base,” Baldwin, 41, exclusively told Us earlier this month after being sent home on Disney Night.

Viewers aren’t alone in sharing their strong opinions. Former pro Maks Chmerkovskiy recently raised eyebrows with his unfiltered comments about DWTS newcomer Jan Ravnik.

“I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing With the Stars,” Chmerkovskiy, 45, claimed on the Friday, October 24, episode of wife Peta Murgatroyd‘s “The Penthouse With Peta” podcast. “There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say what’s obviously there.”

Murgatroyd, 39, argued that Ravnik — who danced on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour before joining DWTS this season — is “learning slowly,” but Chmerkovskiy wasn’t convinced.

“This was a missed opportunity,” he claimed. “[It’s a] major disadvantage. [Jen] has no partner. … It’s not his fault.”

Chmerkovskiy had similar critiques for Rylee Arnold, who was eliminated alongside singer Scott Hoying during the Wicked Night episode.

“He was completely undertaught. … She looked fantastic. This dress was incredible,” Chmerkovskiy said on the podcast. “She looked amazing from the first moment. Bang, look I’m getting goosebumps. It was awesome. But Rylee, sweetheart, it’s not your job to be that. Your job is to make sure he is that. And I didn’t see it in her.”

Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.

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