Carrie Ann Inaba has been a big part of Dancing with the Stars for years. Through her role, she has seen the ups and downs of the many dancers who hit the stage on the show. Recently, Inaba broke her silence over “hate” that was being spread concerning the show.
Carrie Ann Inaba Has Been Part Of Dancing With The Stars Since The First Season
Inaba has had a storied career over the years. She’s been a singer, a dancer, and even a co-host on The Talk. However, the Honolulu-born star is best known to many for her work on Dancing with the Stars.
Inaba has been part of Dancing with the Stars since the very start, serving as a judge since the first season. She, along with Bruno Tonioli, has appeared in every season of the show.
Recently, the series judge took to social media to discuss an issue concerning the show. She wanted to address hate targeted towards Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, in response to a recent post from Ballas himself.
On Instagram, Ballas recently shared a carousel post to thank “this incredible team for all of their hard work, passion & relentlessness to help me bring this vision to life in under 72 hours.” The post showcased images of the pair performing a freestyle routine, as seen during a recent podcast appearance.
Taking to the comments, Inaba shared, “This was absolute brilliance!! And you both delivered a powerful and much needed message.”
Inaba Praised The Pair Was Turning Their ‘Pain’ Into ‘Art’
Inaba continued, calling the pair “a creative match made in heaven.” She added, “This was sheer brilliance for so many reasons.”
In particular, Inaba noted that the pair faced some issues this season, such as accusations of favoritism. The judge defended Ballas and Leavitt, feeling these claims invalidated all of their hard work. She wrote, “And I’m sorry you both went through so much of the online hate this season.”
“Usually, it’s only me who gets the vitriol like that. It broke my heart to read some of the comments. When people kept saying there was favoritism, I got very upset because that diminishes what you both had worked so hard for.”
Inaba shared the hope that social media can become a friendlier place going forward. She continued, “Maybe after this season and this powerful performance, the conversations we have about social media and the parasocial relationships people have will shift and evolve. Also, maybe the way the press covers these things can also be less salacious.”
Ballas and Leavitt were ultimately able to perform their freestyle routine, something usually reserved for finalists on Dancing with the Stars, on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Inaba saw the silver lining in this, noting, “I was sad you didn’t get to perform this at the finale, but I do think that doing it this way, ended up being even better. It had a different kind of impact.” She also congratulated the pair, commending them for transforming “pain” into “art.”
What is your reaction to Ballas’ recent share and his and Leavitt’s routine? What do you think of Inaba’s response? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest reality TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.