The View hosts bash Dancing with the Stars for casting convicted felon Anna Delvey

The View hosts have criticized ABC’s Dancing with the Stars for including convicted felon Anna Delvey in its new season’s lineup.

Delvey, 33, is a Russian-born German citizen who was imprisoned for four years after she was found guilty of swindling banks, hotels and individuals out of more than $200,000. She was released in 2021 before being taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for violating the terms of her visa.

She was later granted house arrest, which she is still currently serving, and has since risen to international fame after Netflix released its 2022 miniseries Inventing Anna based on her life.

On the Thursday (September 8) episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg hit out at Delvey’s unfair privilege.

“I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their mother or their brother back,” the Sister Act star said. “And this woman, they gave her permission to go do this. Now, should I think there’s a reason? Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?”

The con artist recently revealed that she was granted permission by ICE to participate in DWTS.

Sunny Hostin agreed: “She defrauded so many people and then spent about two years in prison and then had to spend another 18 months in prison for overstaying her welcome and overstaying her visa. So she committed another crime, and what is the consequence of it? A federal bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show.”

At the launch event for DWTS, Delvey shared she would be “bejeweling” her ankle monitor while she takes part in the series.

“We have a felon running for president, why are we surprised?” Sara Haines responded, referencing former president Donald Trump, who in May was found guilty of falsifying business records.

Whoopi Goldberg hit out at Anna Delvey’s participation on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ (ABC / Getty Images)
Conceding that she too liked a comeback story, Hostin questioned: “But when are there consequences to peoples’ actions in this country?”

Joy Behar then interrupted to pitch a new spinoff series featuring Trump and other convicted politicians called Dancing with the Felons.

Alyssa Farah Griffin stepped in to add: “I’m here for a redemption arc, not a rehabilitation arc, and the difference is this: somebody who has owned and taken responsibility for what they did wrong.”

Griffin argued that she wasn’t so sure Delvey had. “She still owes people money, and con artists tend to remain con artists, so I would just say if you’re around her there, I’d be wary of schemes she might be working.”

Returning to her initial point, Goldberg said she didn’t understand why Delvey “gets to stay” in America.

“Because she’s pretty!” Behar said, with Goldberg replying: “Well, that’s a little bit of a piss-off. I like pretty people, too. But I’m listening to people b**** about what’s going on at the border, and I listen to all these people b**** about all these people who shouldn’t be here. Well, what the hell?”

Delvey will be partnered with professional dancer Ezra Sosa on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, which debuts on Tuesday, September 17 at 8pm ET on ABC and will air weekly after that.