ABC/JEFF LIPSKY (2) ; Disney/Andrew Eccles
Dancing With the Stars cast announcements often stir up controversy, and season 33 is proving to be no different.
The hosts of The View slammed the casting of Anna Delvey during the Thursday, September 5, episode of the talk show, citing her criminal record and ongoing deportation case. Delvey, 33, had to ask U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for permission to compete on the upcoming season.
“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 brother or their mother back, and this woman, they gave her permission to go do this,” Whoopi Goldberg said. “Now, should I think there’s a reason? Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?”
Sunny Hostin agreed with Goldberg, 68, that Delvey’s moment in the spotlight seems unfair.
Most Controversial ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestants
“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, I don’t know, the consequence of it? A bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show,” Hostin, 55, said. “I like a come-up, but when are there consequences to people’s actions?”
ABC/JEFF LIPSKY
Joy Behar joked that ABC should launch a spinoff series called Dancing With the Felons and theorized that Delvey gets special treatment because “she’s pretty.”
Goldberg shot back, “Well, that’s a little bit of a piss-off. And, you know, I like pretty people too. But I’ve got to say, I’m listening to people bitch about what’s going on at the border, and I listen to people bitch about all these people who shouldn’t be — well, what the hell, man?”
The EGOT winner then said that Delvey’s casting is a“[f–k you] in the face of a lot of people who have been trying to make their way back to this country and families torn apart.”
Most Disastrous ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partners Ever!
Delvey was convicted on charges of grand larceny, larceny in the second degree and theft of services in 2019 and sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. She was released on parole in March 2021 before ICE took her into custody for overstaying her visa. The so-called “Fake Heiress” was released from ICE’s custody in October 2022 and then placed on house arrest.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Delvey told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, September 4, that she “kind of got talked into” competing on DWTS.
“I got the permission from ICE and then it was kind of too late to back out,” she explained.
Delvey will hit the ballroom alongside first-time DWTS pro Ezra Sosa. Sosa, 23, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday that Delvey’s prior knowledge of the show is relatively limited.
“[It] is actually super ironic because the only time [Anna] has seen Dancing with the Stars was in jail,” he shared.
Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
News
REVEALED: Travis Kelce’s lavish $31,000 gift to ‘best friend’ and team-mate Patrick Mahomes on his 29th birthday (HG)
Travis Kelce spared no expense with his birthday present to best friend and Chiefs team-mate Patrick Mahomes, splashing out $31,000 for a new golf bag. The NFL icons have played together in Kansas City since QB Mahomes was drafted in 2017, and have become…
Justin Timberlake Updates Fans on World Tour After DWI Settlement
Justin Timberlake’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is proving polarizing among fans and viewers. The “Selfish” hitmaker participated in an interview which aired Monday, September 16. During the interview, Timberlake announced nine additional shows for his ongoing Forget Tomorrow tour…
“Candace Owens Teams Up with Tucker Carlson: Shocking Duo Ready to Shake Up ABC Late Night!” (HG)
“Candace Owens Teams Up with Tucker Carlson: Shocking Duo Ready to Shake Up ABC Late Night!” Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson Team Up for New Late-Night Show on ABC: A Game-Changer for Television In a groundbreaking move that promises to…
Stephen A. Smith uses Taylor Swift reference to shade Travis Kelce’s slow start (HG)
Stephen A. Smith declared “the honeymoon’s over” between Travis Kelce and girlfriend Taylor Swift after the Chiefs tight end was hardly a factor in Kansas City’s first two wins of the season. During Monday’s installment of “First Take” on ESPN, Smith urged…
Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Preview New Christmas Song ‘You’ll Be There’: ‘It’s About a Bromance’
The close friends revealed the festive track took them “eight or nine hours” to record because they were “crying laughing” Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’. Photo: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/Youtube Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake are…
Whoopi Goldberg defends Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s ‘affectionate’ brunch reunion (HG)
Whoopi Goldberg gave Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s “affectionate” brunch her stamp of approval. The “View” co-host told viewers on Monday that reuniting as famous exes can be “very hard” since people “sit around and … judge it.” The actress, 68, noted…
End of content
No more pages to load