Dancing With the Stars‘ Carrie Ann Inaba is speaking out against the season 35 criticism — including claims of favoritism from the judges.
Inaba, 58, replied to a Threads post from a fan on Thursday, October 8, which read, “Just got called an ‘online bully’ on my video where I simply mentioned that Guillermo [Rodriguez] has made it further than some contestants who should still be in the competition… I fear the plot has been lost!!!”
The longtime DWTS judge offered support in her response.
“Sorry that’s happening, but welcome to the dwts social media fandom,” she wrote. “They are passionate. I know you are not bullying. Truth does not equal bullying.”
Inaba took the opportunity to address backlash against the recent scores, adding, “Just like a lower score doesn’t mean someone else is a ‘favorite.’”
She concluded: “There is an interesting phenomenon where fans of some stars take offense to anything that isn’t what they want to hear or believe.. there can be confusion that we are commenting about the person, as if it were a personal attack on the person they love. When in fact it is not.”
Inaba is no stranger to brushing off critiques from viewers. Just this week, she was aggressively booed after sharing her thoughts on Rodriguez’s samba with pro Witney Carson, claiming the comedian had lost some of his “joy.”
Last year, Inaba shared her perspective on the differing opinions within the fandom. “It’s okay to disagree about what we see. That’s what makes our show great,” she wrote in an Instagram comment. “You have a say in the matter. We want you to vote for what you love and believe in. I appreciate your comment and the way you expressed your feelings. ❤️ thank you for your passion and your opinion.”
Before season 35 began, Inaba reflected on her experience as the longest-serving female judge on the DWTS panel.
“In the beginning when it first started, I was not used to [the criticism]. I was a dancer, and when you’re a dancer, you’re used to everybody loving you. So I went from that to becoming sort of a villain in so many ways,” she told Us exclusively in August.
Inaba explained her approach to addressing the strong feelings from fans.
“I think in this life, everybody’s dealing with that. Everybody’s got an opinion about something. We’re also divided about everything. So I think everyone is going through that,” she said. “I want people to be able to have their opinion, just like I have my opinion. I think that that’s fair. So I really have this strong fairness thing. Like, I need everything to be fair. So if I get to have my opinion, I have to be strong enough to hear other people’s opinion. I’ve always told myself that from day one.”
She continued: “When people give me their opinion, sometimes I engage because I want to know why. Because we’re all learning, right? I think it’s always interesting to hear people’s opinion. And sometimes when I know it’s just being cruel, then I don’t engage.”
Inaba said the success of DWTS is a “group collaborative effort” with the viewers.
“They are the ones who get those people going,” she said. “I mean, I think last year we had, like, 75 million votes in the finale. Yeah, I mean that’s a lot of people getting involved, and that’s wonderful. So how could I ever be upset about whatever their opinion is? I’m just happy that they have one.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
