Cheryl Burke has Carrie Ann Inaba’s back like the Dancing with the stars judge continues to face backlash for his score on the show.
The 41-year-old former professional was asked for variety in an interview published on Friday, October 24, about how he felt about the criticism directed at Inaba for his court comment.
“I agree that they took it against the two men sitting there,” Burke told the network, referring to DWTS judges Bruno Tonioli i Derek Hough.
Burke continued: “And I think that’s always been the case, and she’s been open about it, how it’s harder for her. I’ve experienced it, but in a different way; me being outspoken about something against someone who’s a man, I do see the difference. But you don’t do it because of the outside reaction. At the end of the day, that’s her job and she does it well.”
Carrie Ann Inaba missed being in the ballroom on the season 34 premiere of Dancing With the Stars. “Bravo to the entire cast and crew of @dancingwiththestars,” Inaba, 57, wrote via her Instagram story on Wednesday, September 17. “This was an amazing premiere episode! And thank you all.
The dancer, who participated in 20 seasons of the dance competition, will return to DWTS as a guest judge the Halloween episode on Tuesday, October 28.
She opened up to variety about how he’ll approach judging the stars when it’s his turn to provide feedback.
“I hope to be empowering and encouraging, but of course, I will be constructive. I have 15 seconds to speak! That will be the hardest part for me. Ultimately, I want to help these people,” he told the outlet.
Burke added, “Yeah, we’ll give them credit if they did a great job. But I think for me, I really want to get into the technical side of things, regardless of the subject matter. I’m looking for authenticity between the two people dancing with each other, authenticity to the dance style they’re assigned.”
Cheryl Burke.
(Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)For his part, Inaba, 57, has been in the firing line for what some DWTS viewers have considered a “harsh” rating and comments.
Inaba addressed the criticism via a comment on his Instagram page on October 15.
“It’s okay to disagree about what we see. That’s what makes our show great,” he wrote at the time. “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 opinion.”
In a 2023 interview with paradeIt’s not like Inaba didn’t take the reaction – or the audience members who booed her – to heart.
“The thing is, we want people to have their opinions. The reason people are invested in this competition is because they have an opinion, and it’s important,” he told the company at the time. “We’re one of the few (shows where) the judges have ratings. So what we do is important, but so is what everyone at home is doing. So it’s good that they’re booing. I think it shows that they’re really supporting somebody.”
Dancing with the stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8pm ET.