Dancing With The Stars‘ Carrie Ann Inaba speaks out against criticism of season 35 – including claims of favoritism by the judges.
Inaba, 58, responded to a Threads post from a fan on Thursday, October 8, which read, “I just got a “cyberbully” on my video where I directly mentioned Guillermo [Rodriguez] made it longer than some of the contestants who should still be in the competition… I’m afraid the plot is lost!!!”
The long time DWTS The judge offered to support the answer.
“Sorry that’s happening, but welcome to the dwts social media fandom,” she wrote. “They are passionate. I know you are not a bully. Truth does not equal bullying.”
Inaba took the opportunity to address recent backlash against the scores, saying, “Just because a lower score doesn’t mean someone else is a ‘favorite.'”
She concluded: “There’s an interesting phenomenon where fans of some stars take offense to anything they don’t want to hear or believe… there can be confusion that we’re referring to the person, as if it were a personal attack on the person they love so much.
Inaba is no stranger to dismissing viewers’ opinions. Just this week, she was loudly booed after sharing her thoughts on Rodriguez’s samba with a pro Whitney Carsonclaiming that the actor had lost some of his “joy”.
Last year, Inaba shared her perspective on the different 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 opinion and the way you expressed your feelings.
Ahead of season 35, Inaba reflected on her experience as the longest serving female judge on the DWTS panel.
“In the beginning when it first started, I wasn’t used to it [the criticism]. I was a dancer, and when you’re a dancer, you’re used to everyone loving you. So I went from that to being kind of a criminal in so many ways,” she told me exclusively in August.
Inaba explained her approach to dealing with fans’ strong emotions.
“I think in this life, everyone deals with that. Everyone has an opinion about something. We are also divided about everything. So I think everyone goes through that,” she said. “I want people to be able to have their opinion, just like mine. I think that’s fair. So I really have this strong sense of fairness. Like, I have to have everything fair. So if I 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 get involved because I want to know why. Because we’re all learning, right? I think it’s always interesting to hear people’s opinions. And sometimes when I know it’s just being cruel, I don’t get involved.
Inaba said success DWTS the “cooperative group effort” with the viewers.
“They’re the ones who make these people go,” she said. “I mean, I think we had 75 million votes last year in the final. Yeah, I mean a lot of people get involved, and that’s wonderful. So how could I be upset whatever their opinion is? I’m just glad they have one.”
Dancing With The Stars On Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+ at 8pm ET.